We are now firmly into December, which means that the dreams of the NFL as a whole are about to get seriously narrowed down.

At this point, I see eight or nine teams with the ability to win the Super Bowl from where I’m sitting. They are not necessarily the top nine teams in these power rankings, but it’s close enough.

This past week’s games made it fairly obvious: There is professional football being played, but there is also an abhorrent, borderline-tanky incompetence that defines the league’s lower class. Games are either beautiful, like the 4 p.m. window this past week, or something close to unwatchable.