Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Route to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many people into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team from the situation - not the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're among three eight and two squads in the NFL, all AFC teams, but are they the best?
You can find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Denver
Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive victories, similar to Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his team to success
The defense is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
While you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is open for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Rams, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming major meeting between the pair in LA
Both have won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Each could realistically be without a loss as well - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a score
The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards