Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye are scheduled to face in week 15 for potentially an AFC East championship showdown
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL

This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors

Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

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

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

The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and display

MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores

Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and company registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard average

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season

Miami have served up a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

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

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three different 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC teams, but are they the top team?

One could find flaws in New England, Denver and the Colts actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total 24 wins coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was huge

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to success

The defense is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his first score

While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the schedule

The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There is a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is open for a surprise top seed in the AFC

Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash

Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's major game between the pair in LA

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game

Each could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Rams as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the league

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

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is pursuing multiple running and scoring milestones

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and adding another forty-two {receiving yards

Timothy Norton
Timothy Norton

A gaming industry analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine development and market trends, passionate about technological innovation.