Sports

Week 10 again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the NFL.

That result 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 gives them an edge over their 8-2 rivals.

Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP.

Here's the pick of week 10.

• Trump at Washington game as Dolphins upset Bills - week 10 round-up
• What we learned from the first half of the NFL season

The breakdown - just a bad day for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to answer.

The Bills had won seven in a row against Miami but were second best from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and performance.

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences.

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

Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and company registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over half their 161.5-yard average.

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that Miami turned into seven points just two plays later.

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defence and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season.

Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the top 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 sides, but are they the best?

You can pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos.

Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a statement.

Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was huge.

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory.

The defence is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fourth ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score.

While you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record thanks to their schedule - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo.

Visiting Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule.

The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to go but the door is open for a shock top seed in the AFC.

Coming up - Rams & Seahawks set for week 11 showdown

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in LA.

They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defences allowing under 20 points a game.

Both could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their two defeats came in overtime against th 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown.

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely two of the best sides in the NFL.

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season so far.

Player of the week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another 42 receiving yards.

He's currently on pace for 1,936 rushing yards, so Eric Dickerson's long-held record of 2,105 is still within his grasp with more big games like this one.

Taylor could also have Chris Johnson's scrimmage yards record of 2,509 in his sights as he's on target for 2,378 - and he's shown he can break off for big runs and touchdowns at any moment.

A fourth hat-trick of the season on Sunday is the most any player has managed through 10 weeks, and with 15 rushing touchdowns and 17 overall he can also chase LaDainian Tomlinson's records of 28 rushing and 31 overall scores.

His 83-yard touchdown on Sunday is the longest of the season, he's also clocked the fastest speed of the season at 22.38mph, but has strength to accompany that speed, with 228 yards after contact against the Falcons, which the NFL's NextGen Stats says is the most in eight years.

MVP voters love records, and Taylor could grab a few of them if he continues in this form.

Week 10 game notes, stats & records

The Baltimore Ravens looked dead and buried earlier this season, but a win over the Vikings plus Pittsburgh's defeat at the Chargers means the AFC North is up for grabs now - with the two fierce rivals still to face each other twice, including in the final game of the season.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play calling duties from coordinator John Morton after three below-par games, admittedly against good defences.

The result in Washington was 44 points scored, 546 yards, 30 first downs and Jared Goff going largely untouched. Campbell may have the clipboard and glasses on for a few more games going forward.

Matthew Stafford became just the ninth player to eclipse 400 regular season touchdown passes as the Rams beat the 49ers - while also becoming the first player ever with four touchdowns and no interceptions in three straight games.

It's not often the New York Jets and 'amazing' have gone together this season, but in their win over Cleveland they scored on a 99-yard kick return and then a 74-yard punt return in the space of 36 seconds.

Jaxson Dart became the only rookie quarterback in NFL history with a rushing touchdown in five straight games, but the Giants lost him to concussion before losing a 10-point lead to the Bears.

Another defeat left the Giants 2-8 this season and they fired head coach Brian Daboll, who had been in charge since 2022, on Monday.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will be interim head coach against the Green Bay Packers in week 11.

Caleb Williams is growing into the face of the Chicago Bears by leading another late comeback after last week's epic in Cincinnati.

Watch - Whole 10 Yards trade deadline special

New season, same Pittsburgh Steelers.

Since Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury in 2019 began the end of his career, Pittsburgh has essentially been playing the same brand of football. Scrape by, build hope, get trounced in the playoffs.

Understandably, many people have suggested it’s time for a major shakeup, including the potential replacement of long-time head coach Mike Tomlin. That feels like a bridge too far, but the Steelers can no longer deny the reality of their situation and that they’ve probably reached the end of the road with this current setup.

Normally, the Steelers would be stacking up wins to this point in the season, but this year they’ve fallen from 4-1 to 5-4 and their most recent string of games has featured an alarming trend where the offense has been nonexistent. That was on display before a national prime-time audience Sunday in a 25-10 drubbing against the Los Angeles Chargers.

What felt like a surefire playoff team a month ago is now on the brink of dropping to second place in the AFC North, with the immediate future of the team in greater question than before. 

[Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed]

Whatever groove this offense was in prior to its Week 5 bye is gone. The Steelers’ offense went from from a unit that could have spurts of solid play to a group that doesn’t seem to have anything it can rely on anymore. Over the Steelers’ past four games, in which they’re 1-3, 47.8% of their drives have failed to gain a first down and they’re averaging just 24.7 yards per drive — both bottom-four figures in the league.

They were never going to be a world beater on offense this year, but they had been good enough where it looked different than years past when the offense was an anchor on what was usually a good defense. 

The problem this year for Pittsburgh is its defense is among the worst in the league, which is uncharacteristic for this franchise. The Steelers have the perfect concoction of young players trying to figure out the game, veterans not being as spry as they used to be and just enough players going in and out of the lineup with injuries where they haven’t quite been at full strength. Regardless, this defense ranks 30th on the season in opposing success rate (45.9%), and the only thing keeping the Steelers alive is the unsteady guarantee of turnover luck.

Pittsburgh has been great at getting turnovers this season, ranking fourth in turnover rate (14.7% of drives ending in a turnover), but that’s not something to count on week to week. Being a defense that lives and dies off sacks, turnovers and other splash plays is a dangerous way to live, and when they don’t get those moments, it can be ugly for a unit that suddenly looks like it needs to undergo a massive rebuilding project. On drives where the Steelers don’t get a turnover, they’re giving up 2.6 points per drive and a whopping 79% of those drives get at least one first down, ranking 30th in the NFL.

The Steelers don’t have a stout unit anymore and that’s going to be a serious problem for them if their offense is going to be stuck in the mud like they have been the past few weeks.

With Lamar Jackson and the Ravens now just one game behind the Steelers in the standings with both games against them yet to be played, Pittsburgh is suddenly fighting for its postseason life. Normally, this part happens in December with this current version of the Steelers — which could be a blessing! They have stretched this post-Roethlisberger era as far as it can go, but they’ve reached the limit of the quarterback musical chairs they’ve been playing for the past few years.

Tomlin has been too productive to let go, and he has earned the right to see this team into the next era. But the Steelers need to be willing to start it.