Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many fans into the National Football League
That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their eight and two competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Containing the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the season and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays
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 composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 teams in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the best?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total 24 victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time win in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves point for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to guide his team to success
The defense is reliable and rookie rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his first score
While you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, although a significant contest against the Bills
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are NFC West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a contest
Each could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards