Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens Patriots Route to Top Spot - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action

Quarterbacks in action
Josh Allen and Drake Maye will meet in week 15 for what could be an American Football Conference East championship showdown
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many people into the National Football League

That result could have created things up for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their eight and two rivals

Meanwhile in the NFC 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 MVP award

Analysis - 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 the Bills?

Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to address

The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

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

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average

Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot 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 - not the calm, disciplined, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need 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 American Football Conference East

Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

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

Regarding the New England, they're among three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?

You can find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park seems like a declaration

Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was huge

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves point for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his team to victory

The defense is reliable and first-year running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to break 22mph this year on his first score

Although you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against Buffalo

Visiting Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to face. There is a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC

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

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's major game between the pair in LA

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game

Each could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their two defeats came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the best sides in the NFL

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

Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor

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

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

Ricky Smith
Ricky Smith

A luxury lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience covering high-end brands and travel across Europe.