Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 again delivered, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many people into the National Football League
That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard season average
Additionally there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that Miami converted to a touchdown just two plays
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - not the composed, controlled, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three eight and two teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the top team?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
The Broncos beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time win in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns point for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to steer his side to victory
The defense is solid and first-year running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There is a considerable distance to travel but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored forty points to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming major meeting between the two in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest
Both could realistically be undefeated as well - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season so far
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards