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

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in the fifteenth week 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 demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many people into the NFL

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

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

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

Was it just an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes Miami had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences

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

Containing the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and company recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just two plays

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year

Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

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

One could pick holes in New England, Denver and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver

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

Their two defeats came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his team to success

The defense is solid and first-year rusher Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

While you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their schedule - which features just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There is a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Showdown

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

They've both secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a contest

Both could realistically be undefeated as well - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the NFL

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is pursuing multiple rushing and scoring records

Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards

Lisa Jones
Lisa Jones

A seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting markets, specializing in statistical modeling and risk management.