Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye will meet in the fifteenth week for what could be an American Football Conference East championship showdown
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many fans into the National Football League

That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

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

Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences

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

Containing the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard average

Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that Miami converted to a touchdown just two plays

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - not the calm, disciplined, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - New England See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three different eight and two squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the best?

One could find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time win in Buffalo appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly earns point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his team to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who might also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the schedule

The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a surprise number one position in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown

Both squads with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 teams are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to seven and two before next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA

They've both secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a contest

Both could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses came in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick deflected and returned by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the best sides in the league

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

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is chasing down several running and scoring records

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Phillip Le
Phillip Le

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