Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many fans into the NFL
That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their eight and two rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, 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 defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year 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 pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into a touchdown just two plays
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - not the calm, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season
The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're among three eight and two squads in the league, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?
You can find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with just five of their combined 24 wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time win in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration
Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was significant
Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly earns point for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to success
The defensive unit is reliable and first-year running back Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this season on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts 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 long way to travel but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash
Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different eight and two teams are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a contest
Both could realistically be undefeated as too - 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 field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the best sides in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards