Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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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 draws so many fans into the National Football League
That result may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - yes Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the New England, they're among three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?
You can find flaws in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight wins, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns credit for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his side to victory
The defense is solid and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also challenge for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game
Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown
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 are truly two of the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards