🔗 Share this article

The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many fans into the NFL

That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two competitors

Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award

The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer

The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance

MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores

Containing the league's best running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average

Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into seven points just later

It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen trying to do too much to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed 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 immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are quietly moving into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East

In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place

Regarding the New England, they're one of three eight and two teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the best?

You can find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for feasting on the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 wins coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver

Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a statement

Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was significant

Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for courage after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his side to success

The defense is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to break 22mph this season on his initial touchdown

Although you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against the Bills

Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the schedule

The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a considerable distance to travel but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC

Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Week 11 Showdown

Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different eight and two sides are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Rams, who each scored 40 burgers to go to seven and two before the upcoming major meeting between the two in Los Angeles

They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game

Both could easily be undefeated as well - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score

Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the best sides in the league

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

Top Performer - Taylor

Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing another 42 {receiving yards