Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Opens Patriots 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 Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many fans into the NFL
This outcome could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up 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 the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's top offences
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 league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates 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 crucial turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year
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 Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three eight and two squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the top team?
One could pick holes in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
Denver defeated the reigning 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 prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely deserves point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to steer his side to success
The defensive unit is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the best record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a shock number one position in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's major game between the two in LA
Both have won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game
Each could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Rams as their two defeats came in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
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 genuinely among the top teams in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards