Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
- Published:
- Comments: 3
Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
That result may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this year
Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require 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 AFC East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC teams, but are they the top team?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their total 24 victories achieved against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos
Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time win in Buffalo seems like a statement
Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to success
The defense is solid and rookie rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a winning team, although a huge one against the Bills
Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There is a long way to go but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Clash
Both squads with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both put up forty points to reach 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a contest
Each could easily be undefeated as well - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely two of the best sides in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards