Buffalo's Bay Day Gives Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10

The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the NFL

That result could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an edge over their 8-2 competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Containing the league's best running game was also key, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average

Additionally there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

Regarding the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the top team?

You can find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 wins coming against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos

The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration

Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant

Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns point for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his team to success

The defense is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, 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, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo

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

The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different eight and two sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each scored 40 burgers to reach seven and two ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in Los Angeles

They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a contest

Each could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the league

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

Top Performer - Taylor

Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another forty-two {receiving yards