Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the NFL
That result could have created opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Over in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and display
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the calm, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year
Miami have served up a varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three eight and two teams in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the top team?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a statement
Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven consecutive wins, just like the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to guide his team to success
The defense is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his first score
While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There is a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of the upcoming major game between the pair in LA
Both have secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a contest
Each could easily be without a loss as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick blocked and run back by the Eagles for a score
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the best sides in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and adding another 42 {receiving yards