Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives Patriots Path to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for what could be an AFC East championship showdown
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an edge over their eight and two rivals

Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen try too much or could it simply have been a bad day for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - yes Miami had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the league's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average

Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that Miami turned into a touchdown just later

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - rather than the calm, controlled, balanced Bills we've seen this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game 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 - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

TreVeyon Henderson running
TreVeyon Henderson recorded the fifth quickest speed in the NFL this season

Regarding the New England, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?

One could pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos

Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a statement

Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his side to success

The defensive unit is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22mph this season on his first score

Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their schedule - which features just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also challenge for first place but encounter the identical challenge) 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 Jaguars to face. There is a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Week 11 Showdown

Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three eight and two sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a game

Both could realistically be undefeated as too - especially the Rams as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely among the top teams in the league

The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season to date

Player of the Week - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is pursuing multiple rushing and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards

Holly Green
Holly Green

A professional casino analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and gaming strategy.