Buffalo's Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
That result may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the league's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - not the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the best?
You can find flaws in New England, Denver and the Colts actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Broncos
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime win in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns credit for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his team to victory
The defense is solid and rookie running back Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22mph this season on his first score
Although you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also compete for first place but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty 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 agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might 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