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

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in the fifteenth week for what could be an American Football Conference East title decider
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL

That result may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their 8-2 competitors

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

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

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer

The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores

Containing the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average

Additionally there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that Miami turned into a touchdown just two plays

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

The Dolphins 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 need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

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

Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three eight and two squads in the league, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their combined 24 wins coming against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos

Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime win in Buffalo appears to be a statement

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his team to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year running back 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 initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There is a long way to travel but the opportunity is open for a shock number one position in the American Football Conference

Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach seven and two ahead of next week's major meeting between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game

Both could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Eagles for a score

Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the best sides in the league

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

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is pursuing multiple rushing and touchdown records

Taylor could be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards

Christian Johnson
Christian Johnson

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