Lesser teams that are playing well can sometimes just be too hot for a Super Bowl favorite to contain.
That being said, winning certainly doesn't come easy in the NFL, so if a team is on an upward trajectory they are most likely an excellent football team.
This will be evidenced by these three teams in week 10:
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are still an AFC power at 6-3, but the Bengals have won five straight games and have a successful system established in Cincinnati, led by head coach Marvin Lewis and rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.
This is a huge matchup for AFC North dominance. Having swept Pittsburgh, the Ravens are in perfect position, but the Bengals still have two games against Baltimore looming on their schedule, and a win over the Steelers at home on Sunday could make those games look much more winnable.
Cincinnati is 2-1 at home this season, and the Steelers have lost two of three in 2011 on the road.
The struggling Bucs will face a stiff test at home in week 10 against the streaking Houston Texans. Houston has won three in a row after starting out the year 3-3.
Their running game is back on track and a win on the road this weekend would give them a plus .500 road record, and put them in the driver's seat to win the AFC South, earning their first playoff berth in franchise history.
Tampa Bay has been the definition of inconsistent this season; the team is in danger of failing to live up to the preseason hype.
New Orleans and Atlanta are taking control of the NFC South, and at 4-5 the Bucs could be on the verge of vacationing early.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have a small shot at beating the undefeated Green Bay Packers on Monday night at Lambeau Field. They've already lost to Aaron Rodgers and company once in 2011, and a second loss seems all but a lock.
At 2-6, the days of Brett Favre and competitiveness are long gone in Minnesota. Now the Vikings must look to the future with Christian Ponder, or possibly Andrew Luck, depending on their record at season's end.
The Packers are the class of the NFL, not just the NFC, and are the definition of a juggernaut at mid-season.
The Vikings will hit a brick wall on Monday night in week 10. Count on it.
