Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith Should Get MVP Consideration
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is having a great season. He should be in the NFL MVP race. Here's Why.
How does Smith compare against the rest of the league, though? Wilson didn’t win the MVP in 2015 and, once again, has never had a single MVP vote.
Then again, there isn’t a “Let Geno Cook” movement, which means that it won’t get in his head. It’s a different mentality from every facet of the world that would interact with the Seahawks #7.
Where there were very low expectations coming into the season, anything Smith does that’s better or on par with his peers will be seen through that perception lens. Also, who doesn’t love the underdog story or the rags-to-riches story, or the “I ain’t write back,” story?
The two front-runners for MVP are 5-1 Josh Allen and 5-2 Patrick Mahomes. Perhaps Justin Herbert enters the conversation and Jalen Hurts, but we’ll focus on the two favorites as their numbers are off the charts.
|
Categories |
Smith |
Allen |
Mahomes |
|
GP |
7 |
6 |
7 |
|
Comp |
158 |
160 |
176 |
|
Att |
215 |
239 |
263 |
|
Yards |
1712 |
1980 |
2159 |
|
Comp % |
73.5 |
66.9 |
65.9 |
| Passer Rating |
107.7 |
109.1 |
109.5 |
|
YPG |
244.6 |
330 |
308.4 |
|
TDs |
11 |
17 |
20 |
|
INTs |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Sacks |
14 |
9 |
12 |
|
Rushes |
30 |
47 |
21 |
Yards |
132 |
257 |
113 |
TDs |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Obviously, the biggest differences are yards per game and total TDs, but Smith isn’t that far behind. This is a great comparison because there is literally no one else close to these three in the NFL. An argument could be made for Hurts and Lamar Jackson because of the running element, but from a pure passing standpoint, Geno Smith ranks:
QBR (Quarterback Rating): 3rd
Passer Rating: #2
Expected Points Added: 3rd
It’s the last ranking that keeps Smith in the MVP conversation. EPA takes into account all contributions he makes to the team. And Geno Smith is contributing enough to be considered for NFL MVP.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve read this far, then kudos to you. Geno Smith, if he maintains this pace with regard to Passer Rating and QBR as well as EPA, then he could do something that Russell Wilson never did, earn MVP votes.
Everyone expects both Mahomes and Allen to win games. Their teams are constructed in a way that they have tremendous weapons on offense and great defensive units. Their teams should win.
The other way Smith stays in this conversation is to lead the Seattle Seahawks to the playoffs. If he does that and maintains his current performance level, then Geno Smith deserves MVP consideration.
Joe Swenson is an award-winning international playwright and a Marine Corps veteran.