NFL Week 10 Picks: New England Patriots and Teams with Most to Prove

The NFL landscape is starting to take shape, with teams in the middle of the pack soon to be faced with the difficult situation of having to cling to safe ground or fall into the fault lines.

These three teams, in particular, will have plenty to prove when they take the field on a pivotal Sunday of football in Week 10.

New England Patriots

Everyone and their mother already knew the Patriots defense isn't and wasn't going to be what it had always been—a stout unit comprised of no-name draftees and veterans picked off the scrap heap.

Now, it appears as though New England has lost its scoring touch as well. Tom Brady and company have scored 20 points or fewer in each of their last three contests after cracking the 30-point mark in their first five.

They're not likely to improve upon that offensive performance against a Jets squad that's found its stride of late, especially on defense. The onus, then, will fall on the shoulders of the defense, which will look to avoid falling to an all-time low against Mark Sanchez and Gang Green's awful offense.

And, if the Pats can't find a way to string some good football together, they may very well find themselves at 5-4, looking up at the Jets and Bills in the AFC east, at week's end.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have no such worries with which to concern themselves, but rather a huge test of their AFC-best 6-2 record. After beating up on the patsies of the NFL (the Jaguars, the Colts, the Seahawks, etc.), Cincinnati will now have to prove its mettle at home against Pittsburgh in a pivotal AFC North tilt.

The rookie connection of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green will be challenged by Ryan Clark and the physical Steelers defense, as will the team's league-leading defense by Ben Roethlisberger and his never-ending supply of game-breaking receivers.

That being said, if Cedric Benson can find some running room against the Steel Curtain, and Dalton can complete a few passes here and there to keep Pittsburgh honest, then Cincy will be well on its way to a marquee victory and the stay atop the division that comes with it.

Kansas City Chiefs

Everything was going so well in Kansas City—the Chiefs had climbed all the way back from an abysmal 0-3 start with four straight wins to put themselves atop the AFC West.

Then, mighty Miami came to town and sent the Chiefs back to their early-season form. If there was anything for KC to take away from that embarrassing 31-3 defeat, it's that there is still much work to be done and that even the worst of opponents needs to be taken seriously.

You can bet Matt Cassel will be up in time for a date with Tim Tebow and the suddenly surging Broncos. A win would help the Chiefs to keep their dreams of back-to-back division titles alive and well, despite a record pockmarked by three of the ugliest losses in the league this season.

A loss, though, would drop KC into a three-way tie for second while sending the team back on yet another downward spiral, smack-dab in the middle of the season.