Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for potentially an American Football Conference East championship showdown
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many fans into the NFL

This outcome may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their 8-2 competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen try too much or was it just a bad day for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to answer

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad'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 significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Containing the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over half their 161.5 yard average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth quickest speed in the NFL this year

Regarding the New England, they're one of three different eight and two teams in the NFL, all AFC teams, but could they be the top team?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their total 24 wins coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver

Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time win in Orchard Park appears to be a statement

Their pair of losses occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns point for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his team to success

The defense is reliable and rookie running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this season on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against the Bills

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Clash

Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA

They've both secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game

Both could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play deflected 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 losing to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are truly among the best sides in the league

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

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is chasing down multiple running and touchdown records

Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown

A passionate writer and life coach who shares insights on personal growth, mindfulness, and finding joy in everyday moments.