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 American Football Conference East title decider
  • Published:
  • Comments: 3

The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the National Football League

That result may have opened things up for the Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation in week 11, 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
Did Josh Allen attempt too much or could it simply have been a poor performance for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance

MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses

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

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

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Bills we've seen this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East

Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place

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

Regarding the New England, they're one of three different eight and two teams in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?

You can find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total 24 victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration

Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was huge

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns point for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his first score

While you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Clash

Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both scored 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in LA

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

Both could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick blocked and run back by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks also lost 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 are truly two of the top teams in the NFL

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

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

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

Dr. Donna Hobbs
Dr. Donna Hobbs

A passionate gaming enthusiast and tech writer, Elara specializes in reviewing gaming tools and sharing actionable tips for players of all levels.