Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for potentially an AFC East championship showdown
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many fans into the NFL

This outcome may have opened 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 8-2 competitors

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

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

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

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

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the league's top offences

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard average

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year

Miami have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson recorded the fifth quickest velocity in the league this year

Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three different 8-2 teams in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the top team?

You can find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total twenty-four wins achieved against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Orchard Park seems like a statement

Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight victories, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was huge

Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to victory

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher 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 different runner to exceed 22mph this year on his first score

While you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which features just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the door is available for a shock number one position in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different eight and two sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold playing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest

Each could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play deflected and returned by the Eagles for a score

Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the top teams in the league

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

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is chasing down multiple rushing and touchdown milestones

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

Danielle Lee
Danielle Lee

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino reviews and player strategy development.