Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - 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 title decider
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

This outcome may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

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

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

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

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and display

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

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two scores

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

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defense and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this season 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 next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth fastest speed in the NFL this season

Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the best?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos

Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a declaration

Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was huge

Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his team to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 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 best' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the best record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a huge one against the Bills

Visiting Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There's a long way to travel but the opportunity is open for a shock number one position in the American Football Conference

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

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who both scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game

Each could realistically be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're truly among the best sides in the NFL

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

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is pursuing multiple rushing and touchdown records

Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Arthur Chavez
Arthur Chavez

A tech journalist and software developer with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital trends.