🔗 Share this article

The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many fans into the National Football League

This outcome may have opened opportunities for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

Analysis - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third period and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the league's best offenses

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

Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5 yard season average

Additionally there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays

It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season

The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East

In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC teams, but could they be the top team?

One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their total 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park appears to be a statement

Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was huge

Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to victory

The defense is reliable and rookie running back TreVeyon 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 initial touchdown

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

Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and also the Packers on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the AFC

Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Clash

Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each scored forty points to reach 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in LA

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

Each could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the best sides in the NFL

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards