Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives Patriots Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye are scheduled to face in the fifteenth week for what could be an American Football Conference East title decider
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League

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

Over 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 chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen attempt too much or could it simply have been a poor performance 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 Bills had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses

Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two scores

Containing the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average

Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just two plays

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

TreVeyon Henderson running
TreVeyon Henderson recorded the fifth quickest velocity in the NFL this year

Speaking of the New England, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?

You can pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four victories achieved against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Broncos

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park seems like a statement

Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his side to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to break 22mph this season on his first score

Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a successful opponent, although a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and also the Packers on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Showdown

Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a contest

Each could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown

The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the league

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

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Jonathan Taylor is chasing down several rushing and touchdown records

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards

Clinton Guerrero
Clinton Guerrero

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in gaming strategy and player psychology, specializing in slot machine mechanics.