Two games to go, and the race for the 2013 NFL MVP award is as exciting as a brown-shoe convention in suburban Boise. The top spot has literally been locked up for months, and the only remaining questions are about the distance by which Peyton Manning will break some of the league's more significant passing records -- and then how far he can go in the playoffs, of course.

But this exercise is a fun and useful one because it identifies some of the performances around the league that could conceivably be MVP worthy in a year in which there actually was a race. The all-around brilliance of Seattle's young quarterback deftly piloting the league's best all-around team. Workhorse running backs in Kansas City and Philadelphia. Perennial stars in New Orleans and New England, and a resurgent one in San Diego. Players like Andrew Luck and Calvin Johnson have spent time on the list and dropped off for one reason or another, but new names are always lurking.

This week, the list includes a kicker.

(Wait. What did he say?)

Ahem. The list, people. Focus. The list.