🔗 Share this article

Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

That result may have opened opportunities 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

Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Bills 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 surprising result - and display

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - 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

Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns

Containing the league's best running game was also key, with Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5 yard average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that Miami turned into seven points just later

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defense and Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team from the situation - not the composed, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place

Regarding the New England, they're among three eight and two teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the best?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver

The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Buffalo appears to be a declaration

Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight victories, just like the Broncos, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely earns point for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score

Although you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against the Bills

Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule

The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to face. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the AFC

Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Week 11 Showdown

Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who each scored forty points to go to 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA

Both have won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a game

Each could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown

Seattle were also defeated to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly among the top teams in the league

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards