Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for potentially an AFC East title decider
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the NFL

This outcome could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their 8-2 competitors

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen attempt too much or was it just a poor performance for the Bills?

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

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

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences

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

Containing the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Bills we've seen this season

Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back 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 AFC East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson recorded the fifth fastest speed in the league this season

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but are they the top team?

You can find flaws in New England, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four wins achieved against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime win in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven consecutive victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns point for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his initial touchdown

Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a huge one against the Bills

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and also the Packers on the fixture list

The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is open for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each scored 40 burgers to reach seven and two before next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a contest

Each could easily be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came 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 Eagles for a touchdown

The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the best sides in the NFL

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

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is chasing down multiple running and scoring records

Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Virginia Frederick
Virginia Frederick

Elara Vance is a seasoned sports analyst with a passion for data-driven betting strategies and helping others improve their wagering decisions.