Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League
That result could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their 8-2 rivals
Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and display
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense 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 shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season
Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different eight and two teams in the league, all AFC teams, but could they be the best?
One could pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their total 24 victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a declaration
Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, just like the Broncos, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was significant
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the best record due to their schedule - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against Buffalo
Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in Los Angeles
They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a contest
Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks were also defeated to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the best sides in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards