Buffalo's Bay Day Opens New England Route to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye will meet in the fifteenth week for what could be an AFC East championship showdown
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their eight and two competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones 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 the Bills?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories 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 squad's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - yes Miami had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences

Tua Tagovailoa passed for two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Containing the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over half their 161.5-yard season average

Additionally there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into seven points just two plays

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

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo 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 American Football Conference East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

TreVeyon Henderson running
TreVeyon Henderson clocked the fifth quickest speed in the league this season

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos

The Broncos beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their two defeats came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his side to success

The defensive unit is reliable and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this year on his first score

While you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both put up 40 burgers to go to seven and two ahead of the upcoming major game between the pair in LA

Both have won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a contest

Both could realistically be without a loss as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the best sides in the league

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

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is pursuing several running and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 yards, registering three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards

Kristen Bailey
Kristen Bailey

Cybersecurity specialist and AI researcher with over a decade of experience in tech innovation and digital security solutions.