Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - 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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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the NFL

This outcome may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their eight and two rivals

Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen try too much or could it simply have been a poor performance for the Bills?

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

The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores 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 also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5-yard average

Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to seven points just two plays

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen trying 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 varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East

Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

Regarding the New England, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the best?

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

Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time win in Buffalo appears to be a statement

Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was huge

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves point for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to success

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown

While you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against Buffalo

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

The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash

Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 teams are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to go to seven and two ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA

Both have won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest

Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Rams as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the NFL

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date

Top Performer - Taylor

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

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

John Blackburn
John Blackburn

A lighting design specialist with over a decade of experience in smart home technology and sustainable energy solutions, passionate about transforming living spaces.