Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for what could be an AFC East championship showdown
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many fans into the National Football League

This outcome could have created opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals

Over in the NFC the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation 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?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen attempt too much or could it simply have been a poor performance for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - yes Miami had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores

Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just later

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - not the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year

Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on whether this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth quickest speed in the league this year

Speaking of the New England, they're among three eight and two squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the top team?

You can pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 victories coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver

The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration

Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight victories, just like the Broncos, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to success

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Pats should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the schedule

The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise number one position in the AFC

Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Showdown

Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a contest

Both could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're truly two of the best sides in the league

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is pursuing several running and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards

Cody Martin
Cody Martin

A passionate gamer and tech writer with over a decade of experience covering indie and AAA titles across multiple platforms.