Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet 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 demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the NFL

This outcome may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash 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
Was Josh Allen attempt too much or could it simply have been a poor performance for the Bills?

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer

The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were second best from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores

Containing the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - not the calm, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year

Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East

In Focus - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place

TreVeyon Henderson running
Henderson clocked the fifth fastest velocity in the league this season

Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three different 8-2 teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the top team?

You can find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver

Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Buffalo appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, just like the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves point for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to success

The defensive unit is solid and rookie running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Pats should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against the Bills

Traveling to 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 could also compete for top seed but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown

Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in Los Angeles

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

Each could easily be without a loss as well - 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 game-winning field goal with the final play deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the top teams in the NFL

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor running
Taylor is chasing down multiple rushing and scoring records

Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Lori Adams
Lori Adams

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino trends and player strategy optimization.