Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many fans into the National Football League
That result 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 edge over their eight and two rivals
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were second best from the start as the Miami team 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 quarter and first points in the fourth - yes Miami had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Containing the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to a touchdown just later
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the New England, they're one of three different 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference teams, but are they the top team?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver
Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration
Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his team to victory
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph 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 thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, although a significant contest against the Bills
Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three eight and two teams are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each scored 40 burgers to reach seven and two before the upcoming major game between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Each could realistically be without a loss as well - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and run back by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, 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 season so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards