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

The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

That result could have created opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Over in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award

Analysis - 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 Bills to answer

The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses

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

Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to seven points just later

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year

The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

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

One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver

The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park seems like a statement

Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive victories, similar to the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge

Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to guide his side to success

The defense is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this year on his first score

While you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Pats should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to travel but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Clash

Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three eight and two teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before the upcoming major game between the two in LA

They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a contest

Each could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the league

The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards