Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Path 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 proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many people into the NFL
This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - yes Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just two plays
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're among three eight and two squads in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos
Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive wins, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was huge
Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly earns point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to success
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher 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 runner to exceed 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
Although you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a long way to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 ahead of next week's major meeting between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a contest
Both could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year so far
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards