Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Highlights of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for what could be an AFC East title decider
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many fans into the NFL

That result could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week 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 attempt too much or was it just a bad day for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer

The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly 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 running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two scores

Containing the NFL's top running game was also key, with James Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over half their 161.5 yard season average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just two plays

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year

Miami have demonstrated a varied performances 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 tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East

Spotlight - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place

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

Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the league, all AFC teams, but are they the best?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos

The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Orchard Park seems like a statement

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was huge

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to victory

The defense is solid and rookie running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this season on his first score

While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There is a long way to go but the opportunity is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

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

Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's major game between the two in LA

Both have secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game

Each could realistically be without a loss as too - especially the Rams as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play blocked and run back by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely two of the top teams in the league

The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

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

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

Douglas Castro
Douglas Castro

A passionate gamer and tech writer with over a decade of experience in creating detailed guides and reviews.