Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for what could be an American Football Conference East title decider
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many fans into the NFL

This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes 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 bad day for the Bills?

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 answer

The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the beginning as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5-yard season average

Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into seven points just two plays

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - not the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the best?

You can find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four victories coming against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Broncos

The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration

Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his team to success

The defense is reliable and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown

While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the door is open for a shock number one position in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown

Both squads with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach seven and two before the upcoming major game between the two in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game

Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Rams as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the league

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

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

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 42 {receiving yards

Nicole Blanchard
Nicole Blanchard

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and casino strategy development.