Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
- Published:
- Comments: 3
The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Containing the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, controlled, balanced Bills we've seen this season
Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the top team?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their total 24 victories achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos
Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, just like the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns point for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his team to success
The defense is reliable and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his first score
While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo
Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock number one position in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Week 11 Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty points a contest
Both could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are truly two of the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and adding another forty-two {receiving yards