Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Route to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones 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 a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was also key, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just later
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
Miami have served up 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 Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC teams, but could they be the top team?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their combined 24 wins achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Broncos
Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a statement
Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, 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 continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to success
The defensive unit is solid and first-year running back Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22mph this year on his first score
Although you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against the Bills
Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but encounter the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to travel but the opportunity is open for a surprise number one position in the AFC
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up 40 burgers to reach seven and two before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a contest
Both could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're truly among the top teams in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards