Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives New England Route 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 American Football Conference East title decider
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans 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 edge over their 8-2 competitors

Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Josh Allen in action
Did Josh Allen attempt too much or was it just a poor performance for the Bills?

Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to address

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and display

MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's best offenses

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

Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5-yard average

Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC teams, but are they the best?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins coming against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver

Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his side to success

The defense is reliable and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

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

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each put up 40 burgers to go to seven and two ahead of next week's major game between the two in LA

Both have won four in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game

Both could realistically be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly among the best sides in the league

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

Top Performer - Taylor

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

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards

Kelly Bennett
Kelly Bennett

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in writing about video games and digital trends.