🔗 Share this article

Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL

This outcome 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 NFC the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and performance

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses

Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and company recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over half their 161.5-yard season average

Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the composed, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year

Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East

Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

Speaking of the New England, they're among three different 8-2 teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the best?

One could find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their total twenty-four victories coming against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a declaration

Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant

Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly earns point for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his side to success

The defensive unit is reliable and rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score

While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record due to their schedule - which features just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills

Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the fixture list

The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is open for a shock number one position in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown

Both squads with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach seven and two before next week's major meeting between the two in Los Angeles

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

Each could realistically be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score

The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely two of the top teams in the league

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year to date

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards