Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Route to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

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

The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League

This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals

Meanwhile 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 pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen try too much or could it simply have been a bad day for the Bills?

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to answer

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

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to get ready but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses

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

Containing the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard season average

Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just two plays

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - not the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this season so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

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

Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all American Football Conference teams, but are they the top team?

You can pick holes in New England, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 wins achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver

The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a statement

Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was huge

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns point for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against the Bills

Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to travel but the door is available for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in LA

Both have won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a contest

Each could realistically be without a loss as well - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco 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 score

The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly two of the best sides 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
Taylor is pursuing multiple running and touchdown records

Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another 42 {receiving yards

Nicole Robertson
Nicole Robertson

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