Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen along with Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for potentially an American Football Conference East title decider
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that draws so many people into the National Football League

That result may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their eight and two rivals

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?

Josh Allen in action
Was Josh Allen try too much or was it just a poor performance for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were second best from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and display

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

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Containing the league's best rushing attack was also key, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to seven points just two plays

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season

Miami have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

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

Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the top team?

You can find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts actually for feasting on the lesser sides, with just five of their combined 24 wins achieved against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Broncos

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was huge

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly earns credit for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his team to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a shock number one position in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 ahead of next week's major meeting between the two in LA

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game

Both could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick blocked and run back 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 contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely among the best sides in the NFL

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year so far

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

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

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards

Stephanie Mcbride
Stephanie Mcbride

A productivity coach and mindfulness advocate with over a decade of experience helping individuals optimize their routines.