Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL
This outcome may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - yes the Dolphins had ten days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Containing the NFL's top running game was also key, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just later
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this year
Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll require an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England See Path to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the best?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos
The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England 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 Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is solid and first-year running back Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22mph this season on his first score
Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to go but the door is available for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Clash
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 teams are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming major meeting between the two in Los Angeles
Both have won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a contest
Both could realistically be undefeated as well - especially the Rams 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 deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly 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
Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards