Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Route to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened 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 eight and two competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year
Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're one of three eight and two teams in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but are they the top team?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time win in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their two defeats came in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight victories, just like the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves credit for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his team to victory
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his initial touchdown
Although you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Pats should be favorites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Week 11 Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both put up forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of the upcoming major meeting between the two in LA
They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Both could easily be without a loss as too - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the final play deflected and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly two of the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards