Buffalo's Bay Day Gives New England Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
That result could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation 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 Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5-yard average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning 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 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England See Path to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the New England, they're one of three different eight and two teams in the league, all AFC sides, but could they be the best?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins coming against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns point for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his team to victory
The defense is reliable and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown
Although you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their schedule - which features just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a shock number one position in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty points a contest
Both could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards