Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Route to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for potentially an AFC East championship showdown
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League

That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen attempt 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 last week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to address

The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad'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 nonetheless a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's best offenses

Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard season average

Additionally there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into seven points just two plays

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - New England See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three different 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the best?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Colts beating the Denver

The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a statement

Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three games, with seven consecutive victories, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was huge

Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns point for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to success

The defense is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22mph this year on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There is a long way to go but the door is available for a shock number one position in the American Football Conference

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown

Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored 40 burgers to go to seven and two ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in LA

They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a game

Both could realistically be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the NFL

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season so far

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is pursuing several running and touchdown milestones

Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards

Andrew Robbins
Andrew Robbins

A seasoned gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering online casinos and slot strategies across Europe.

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