Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Route to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for potentially an American Football Conference East championship showdown
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the National Football League

This outcome could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their eight and two competitors

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award

Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen try too much or was it just a poor performance for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and display

MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - 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

Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to seven points just later

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season

Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth fastest velocity in the league this season

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

One could pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis actually for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Denver

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a statement

Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns credit for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his side to success

The defense is solid and rookie running back Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to break 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their schedule - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There is a long way to go but the opportunity is open for a shock top seed in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Showdown

Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are NFC West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each put up forty points to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming major game between the two in LA

Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although 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 - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

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

The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year so far

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is chasing down several rushing and touchdown records

Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards

Jessica Harris
Jessica Harris

A seasoned market analyst with over a decade of experience in trend forecasting and data-driven strategies.