Buffalo's Bay Day 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 major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many people into the NFL
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 eight and two competitors
Meanwhile 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 MVP award
Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back De'Von 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 teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the New England, they're among three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the best?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos
Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in recently appointed coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns credit for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to break 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who might also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is open for a shock number one position in the AFC
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Clash
Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to reach seven and two ahead of next week's major game between the pair in LA
Both have won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a contest
Both could easily be without a loss as well - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play blocked and run back by the Eagles for a score
Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're truly two of the top teams in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards