Week 11 Recap and Five MVP Questions Going Into the Final Stretch

Howdy, Lady Blitz readers!  A flurry of circumstances (work, moving, Thanksgiving travel) have me a little behind schedule with my usual loquacious style of NFL game breakdowns this week.  There are fair skies ahead once we get this internet situation secured in my new digs, but in the absence of time, infrastructure, and as deep a study of this week's plays as usual (I even had to miss the Saints' blowout on Sunday!), I've pared things down quite a bit today. 

Here are my lingering thoughts on Week 11, not just in Quick Snap form, but in Haiku.  I know.  I'll also feature a truly quick rendition of my weekly feature this week: Five MVP Questions Going Into the Final Stretch of an anything-goes, no-holds-barred kind of year.  But first, the good stuff:

Week 11: Haikus of Good Stuff

Colts at Patriots
Pick one-ninety-nine
Destroyed rookie number one
...Or at least this time

Ravens at Steelers
Ugly win, Ravens
But not as ugly as those
Bumblebee unis

Saints at Raiders
New Orleans marches
Even if Tony Dungy
Won't acknowledge it

Nailed It!: My Best Week 11 Prediction - This one pretty much hits the nail on the head.  There's absolutely no reason the Falcons should be 9 - 1 after yesterday's 6-takeaway spectacular against the formidable Arizona defense.  Oh wait, yes there is:

• "I do think the Falcons need to be careful against an excellent defense that has had some much-needed rest.  Still, Arizona just doesn't have the kind of firepower on offense with or without Kevin Kolb to play against an angry Falcons team that is 18 - 3 after a loss under Mike Smith."

Week 11: Haikus of Bad Stuff

(Speaking of) Cardinals at Falcons
Five picks and a loss?
Yes, the Cardinals' offense
Is really that bad

Eagles at Redskins
It's always burning
In Philly's coaching hot seat.
Andy's face: unchanged

The Overtime Peanut Gallery
Browns, Jaguars, Panthers
Would impress playing horseshoes
But not overtime

Shanked It!: My Worst Week 11 Prediction - The Dolphins are definitely moving up the charts in teams I just don't get.  Since I didn't pick many teams against the spread this week (and was largely successful because of it just like everyone else), I took one last chance on them and failed miserably:

• "This game sure just got a lot harder to pick that it would have seemed two weeks ago, but I'm going to go with the longitudinal record on this one.  The Dolphins have shown they can shut down elite rushing games before this year, and forcing Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw will be key for their success this week."

Week 11 Feature: Five MVP Questions Going Into the Final Stretch
With nearly three quarters of the regular season gone and still no true frontrunner in sight in the 2012 MVP race, here are some additional meditations to consider in a surprisingly hazy race:

1. How much does context matter?  There are a handful of elite players performing at the same or better level than, say, Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning, but these two definitely get the personal interest bump for now after battling back from major injuries and easily surpassing early expectations.  
2. Should Julio Jones be on the edges of the radar?  By winning-QB convention and by an overall record that speaks for itself so far this year, Matt Ryan is still a frontrunner for MVP, but he just hasn't looked the same with WR Julio Jones out during most of the past two weeks.
3. Why isn't Drew Brees at least in the conversation? It'd be an outside shot as it is every year, but Drew Brees leads the league in TD passes and yards per game, broke Johnny U's 50+ year consecutive games record, and has gotten scary good again as the season has gone on.  All of this without a coach and without much of a defense or running game.  Le sigh.
4. Does J.J. Watt even have a chance anymore?  Ah, the curse of every great (non-QB) skill player.  You fly under the radar with exceptional talent and results, and then everyone starts to notice.  And then you get double-teamed for all of eternity.
5. Are we destined for an uninspired repeat?  Newcomer MVP QB hopefuls Alex Smith, Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck and (sort of) Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger all showed great flashes of brilliance early and often, but injuries and bad days are stacking up in the favor of the Bradys, Rodgers, and P. Mannings of the world...