Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in the fifteenth week for potentially an AFC East title decider
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League

That result may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their 8-2 competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones 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 was it just a bad day for the Bills?

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display

MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the league's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but rusher Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball 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 defense and Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything 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 difficult matchup against the Buccaneers 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 clocked the fifth fastest velocity in the NFL this season

Regarding the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC teams, but could they be the best?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Broncos

Denver defeated the reigning 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 prime time win in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was huge

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

The defense is reliable and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a long way to go but the opportunity is open for a shock top seed in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Showdown

Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA

Both have secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a contest

Both could easily be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of 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
Taylor is chasing down multiple rushing and touchdown records

Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards

Pamela Wood
Pamela Wood

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