Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Opens New England Route to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their eight and two rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the league's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Containing the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to seven points just later
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
Miami have served up a varied performances this season so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC teams, but are they the top team?
You can pick holes in New England, Denver and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration
Their two defeats came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his side to victory
The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown
While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash
Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a contest
Both could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely two of the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing another 42 {receiving yards