Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for potentially an American Football Conference East title decider
  • Published:
  • Comments: 3

The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the NFL

This outcome may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?

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

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to answer

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and display

MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the league's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but rusher Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season

The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo 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 top of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

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

Speaking of the New England, they're one of three different 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the top team?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their total twenty-four victories achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver

Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant

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

The defense is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score

While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against the Bills

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the schedule

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to face. There is a considerable distance to travel but the door is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Clash

Both squads with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three different eight and two teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who each put up forty points to go to 7-2 before the upcoming major game between the two in Los Angeles

They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game

Both could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the best sides in the NFL

The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season to date

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is pursuing several running and touchdown records

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards

Brittney Juarez
Brittney Juarez

A software developer and gaming enthusiast passionate about exploring new technologies and sharing practical insights.