Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many people into the National Football League
That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Containing the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three different eight and two squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the top team?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to the Broncos, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his team to victory
The defense is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this year on his initial touchdown
While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Showdown
Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three eight and two sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who both scored forty points to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a contest
Each could easily be without a loss as too - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are truly among the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards