Just 10 weeks into the 2010 NFL season there have been surprises and a handful of disappointments from teams throughout the league. Several Super Bowl favorites started out with high expectations, but now have struggled lately to get in the win column. As always, a couple of teams who were predicted to fair poorly have proved the experts right. Here’s a breakdown of some of the league’s tightest divisions heading down the stretch.

NFC East: The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles currently stand atop of this division. Both teams are 6-3 and seem to have already knocked the struggling Washington Redskins and the Dallas “billion dollar stadium” Cowboys out of contention. The Redskins’ loss to the St. Louis Rams and the Detroit Lions really seemed to have set a tone for this season after the off-season signing of Donovan McNabb. The Giants and Eagles are set to take off in their highly anticipated Sunday night thriller in week 11 for the battle to gain control over the NFC East.

NFC West: This division is proving week after week that anyone is invited to retain first place. Going into the season, the San Francisco 49ers were the overwhelming favorites to win the division after the retirement of future hall-of-famer Kurt Warner, which seemed to severely hurt the Arizona Cardinals’ chances. The 49ers have crawled their way back into contention with their overtime win over the Rams after starting the season 0-5. The Rams are one of the most improved team in the NFL with rookie-of-the-year caliber showing from Sam Bradford after an embarrassing 1-15 record in 2009. In order for the Rams to win the division, they must learn to win on the road and be able to continue their success at home. They must finish out games in the second half and to be able to strike first in the third quarter, a quarter where the Rams have struggled greatly this year. A win at home vs. the Atlanta Falcons and a hopeful first win on the road against the Denver Broncos will keep their division hopes alive and upstart an inconsistent Rams offense. As of now, the Seattle Seahawks hold a slight lead in the division at 5-4, a one game lead over the 4-5 Rams.

AFC East: The AFC East has lived up to expectations this year as being one of the leagues’ powerhouses. Both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots are neck and neck with 7-2 records. However, inconsistent play from both teams could allow the Miami Dolphins to sneak their way back into the playoff picture. This doesn’t seem likely as Miami is down to their third-string QB, Tyler Thigpen, after injuries suffered from Chad Pennington and Chad Henne. Lately, the Jets have squeezed by with slim overtime wins over the Lions and the Browns. The Patriots haven’t been so lucky after a 34-14 beat down they received from the ClBrowns, but they were able to salvage a win last week against one the league’s best Pittsburgh Steelers. Last, but not least, the Buffalo Bills are left in the dust with a 1-8 record, their first win coming against the Lions.

AFC North: Both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have continued to stretch the win margin over the 3rd place Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. This division battle is tied up with both teams resting at 6-3. Currently, the Ravens hold the tiebreaker with after a week 4 in Pittsburgh by the score of 17-14. The Steelers are coming off a loss to the Patriots, but have a seemingly easy next 2 weeks against the Oakland Raiders and on the road against the 1-8 Bills. The Ravens get a chance to ease off on the pressure the next 2 weeks against the 1-8 Carolina Panthers and the 6-3 Tampa Bucs, who struggled on the road in the first half of the season which consisted of more home games. The schedule over the next 2 weeks gives the Steelers and the Ravens the opportunity to widen the division gap over the 3-6 Browns and the 2-7 Bengals. Sorry, Ochocinco, there isn’t a whole lot to celebrate over.