Buffalo's Bay Day Gives New England Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many people into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule 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 set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns 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 also key, with Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5-yard average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season
The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the best?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Broncos
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time win in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly earns credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his side to victory
The defense is solid and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, although a huge one against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There's a long way to travel but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown
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 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in Los Angeles
They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game
Each could easily 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 agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are truly among the best sides in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor could be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards