Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Opens New England Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
- Published:
- Comments: 3
The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many people into the NFL
That result may have opened things up for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the league's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two scores but rusher Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two scores
Containing the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard average
Additionally there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that Miami converted to a touchdown just later
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this year
Miami have served up a varied performances this season so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the best?
One could find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Broncos
The Broncos beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime win in Orchard Park seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22mph this season on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three different 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored 40 burgers to reach seven and two ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a game
Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a score
The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely among the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and adding another forty-two {receiving yards