Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye will meet in the fifteenth week for potentially an AFC East championship showdown
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many people into the NFL

This outcome may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their eight and two rivals

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen try too much or could it simply have been a poor performance for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and display

MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had 10 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 touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was also key, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just two plays

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year

The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth quickest velocity in the league this year

Regarding the New England, they're among three different eight and two squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the best?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver

Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a statement

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his team to victory

The defensive unit is reliable and rookie rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule

The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the AFC

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

Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who both put up 40 burgers to go to seven and two before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in Los Angeles

Both have secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game

Both could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely among the top teams in the NFL

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is pursuing several rushing and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Sarah White
Sarah White

A digital strategist and tech writer with over a decade of experience in analyzing emerging technologies and their impact on modern business landscapes.