Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League
That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their eight and two competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and display
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've seen this year
The Dolphins have demonstrated 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 immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the best?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
The Broncos beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was huge
Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns point for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his side to victory
The defense is reliable and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their schedule - which features just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who might also challenge for first place but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's major meeting between the two in Los Angeles
They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game
Each could easily be undefeated as too - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're truly two of the top teams in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards