Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for potentially 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 fans into the National Football League

That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?

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

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

The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the league's best offenses

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

Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average

Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins 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 defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - not the calm, disciplined, balanced Bills we've seen this season

Miami have served up a varied performances this year so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
TreVeyon Henderson recorded the fifth quickest velocity in the NFL this season

Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 squads in the league, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?

One could find flaws in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos

Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a statement

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 Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly earns credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to guide his team to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this season on his first score

While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There is a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is open for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Clash

Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different eight and two sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each put up forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in Los Angeles

Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest

Each could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses came in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest 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 year so far

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is pursuing several running and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards

Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts

Wildlife biologist and conservationist with a passion for sloth research and environmental advocacy.