Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many people into the National Football League
That result could have created opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and display
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just later
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're among three different eight and two teams in the NFL, all American Football Conference teams, but are they the best?
You can pick holes in New England, Denver and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime win in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to success
The defense is solid and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his initial touchdown
While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to go but the door is open for a shock number one position in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Week 11 Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in Los Angeles
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game
Both could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks were also defeated to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely two of the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards