Buffalo's Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many fans into the NFL
This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their 8-2 competitors
Over in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year
The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three eight and two squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the best?
You can find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Broncos
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight victories, similar to Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but persevering to guide his team to victory
The defensive unit is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
Although you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a huge one against the Bills
Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Showdown
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who each put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before the upcoming major game between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a contest
Each could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are truly two of the top teams in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards