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

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in the fifteenth week for what could be an AFC East championship showdown
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the NFL

That result could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their eight and two rivals

Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes 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 the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen attempt 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 Bills to answer

The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance

MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - yes 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 De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Containing the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - not the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the AFC East

In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

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

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

You can pick holes in New England, Denver and the Colts really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their total 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score

While you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, 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 challenge for top seed but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There is a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise number one position in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash

Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Rams, who each put up 40 burgers to reach seven and two before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a game

Each could easily be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown

Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the league

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 pursuing multiple running and scoring milestones

Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing another 42 {receiving yards

Tracey Nichols
Tracey Nichols

A software engineer passionate about open-source ecosystems, with over a decade of experience in Linux administration and Python development.