Buffalo's Bay Day Gives Patriots Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye will meet in the fifteenth week for what could be an AFC East title decider
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League

That result may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

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

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to address

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

MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third period 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 NFL's best offenses

Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns

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

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

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Bills we've seen this year

Miami have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup 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 Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth quickest speed in the NFL this year

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

One could find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 victories coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos

Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a statement

Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to success

The defense is solid and first-year running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who might also challenge for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a shock top seed in the AFC

Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Showdown

Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored forty points to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in LA

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a game

Both could easily be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're truly among the top teams in the NFL

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season to date

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is chasing down several running and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in casino game strategy and industry trends.