🔗 Share this article

The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL

This outcome may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors

Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award

The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? That's 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 Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and display

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences

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

Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six 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 pair from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - not the calm, controlled, balanced Bills we've seen this season

The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start 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 New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the AFC East

Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed

Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?

You can find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis actually for dominating the weaker opponents, 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 beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a statement

Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly earns point for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his side to success

The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22mph this season on his first score

While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo

Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also challenge for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list

The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference

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

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Rams, who both put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in LA

They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game

Each could easily be without a loss as well - particularly the Rams as their two defeats came in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score

The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the NFL

The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season so far

Top Performer - Taylor

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards