Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best 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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Week 10 again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the NFL

That result could have created opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen attempt too much or could it simply have been a poor performance for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? 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 winners in an surprising result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores

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

Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - not the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season

The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots 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
TreVeyon Henderson recorded the fifth quickest speed in the league this year

Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?

One could find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant

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

The defense is solid and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown

While you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the top record thanks to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against the Bills

Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who might also challenge for first place but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule

The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

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

Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to go to seven and two ahead of the upcoming major meeting between the two in LA

They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty points a game

Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the top teams in the NFL

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

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

Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards

Patricia Sandoval
Patricia Sandoval

A tech enthusiast and lifestyle writer passionate about sharing insights on digital trends and everyday living.