Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10

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

This outcome may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes 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

Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City 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 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 got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's best offenses

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

Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just two plays

It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defense and Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the American Football Conference East

Spotlight - New England See Path to Surprise Top Seed

Regarding the Patriots, they're among three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the top team?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos

Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration

Their pair of losses occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight victories, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to success

The defense is reliable and first-year running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown

While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against the Bills

Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who might also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference

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

Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 before 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 elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a contest

Both could realistically be without a loss as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown

The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the league

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

Player of the Week - Taylor

Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards