Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
- Published:
- Comments: 3
Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was also key, with Cook and company recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, controlled, balanced Bills we've seen this season
The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an instant response 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 - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the best?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their total 24 victories coming against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Colts beating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his team to victory
The defense is solid and rookie running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to break 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos 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 same problem) and also the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to travel but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Each could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Rams as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick deflected and returned by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely among the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards