🔗 Share this article

The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws 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 8-2 rivals

Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to address

The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and display

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter 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 NFL's best offenses

Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns

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

Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East

In Focus - New England See Path to Surprise Top Seed

Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC teams, but are they the best?

You can find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 wins achieved against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Broncos

Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Orchard Park seems like a declaration

Their two defeats came in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was significant

Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to victory

The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this year on his initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also compete for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and also the Packers on the fixture list

The Colts 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 opportunity is open for a shock number one position in the AFC

Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Next Week Clash

Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to go to seven and two before next week's major game between the two in LA

Both have won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a game

Both could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown

Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are truly among the best sides in the league

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

Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor

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