Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for what could be an AFC East title decider
  • Published:
  • Comments: 3

Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many fans into the National Football League

This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an edge over their 8-2 rivals

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?

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

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

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

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was also key, with Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and just over half their 161.5 yard season average

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East

Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

TreVeyon Henderson running
TreVeyon Henderson recorded the fifth fastest velocity in the NFL this year

Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the best?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Denver

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to guide his team to victory

The defense is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this year on his first score

Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are NFC West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in Los Angeles

Both have secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest

Each could easily be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely two of the best sides in the league

The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season to date

Player of the Week - Taylor

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

Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing another 42 {receiving yards

Richard Phillips
Richard Phillips

A passionate gaming enthusiast and writer with years of experience in reviewing online casinos and sharing strategic insights.