Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in the fifteenth week for potentially an AFC East championship showdown
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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 opportunities for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen attempt 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 the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Bills to address

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and display

MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's best offenses

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns 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 recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just later

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season

The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson recorded the fifth quickest speed in the league this year

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

One could find flaws in New England, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a positive 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 Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive victories, just like the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly deserves credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his team to victory

The defense is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which features just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the schedule

The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock number one position in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming major meeting between the pair in LA

Both have secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game

Each could easily be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the best sides in the NFL

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year so far

Player of the Week - Taylor

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

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards

Larry Miranda
Larry Miranda

A former casino manager turned gaming analyst, Felix specializes in slot machine mechanics and probability theory.