ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has surprising early-season MVP vote

The Seattle Seahawks have been arguably the most surprising team in the NFL this season, and the steady play they have gotten from Geno Smith is a big reason for that. One prominent ESPN analyst feels the quarterback has been arguably the best player in the NFL.

Dan Orlovsky said on ESPN’s “Get Up” Monday morning that if the season ended today, he would consider Smith the NFL MVP. The former quarterback pointed to the fact that Smith has been one of the most accurate passers in the league in addition to leading his team to a 5-3 record.

“There is no quarterback that has more perfect throws in every game than Geno Smith. … There’s one quarterback in the NFL this season with less than 10 percent of his throws off-target, the only person is Geno Smith,” Orlovsky said. “That’s why he’s right in the MVP race. He has more perfect throws than any guy in the league right now.”

Smith has thrown for 1,924 yards, 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions through eight games. While most of his stats don’t line up with quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, his 107.2 passer rating is third-best in the NFL.

As Orlovsky mentioned, Seahawks wide receivers have struggled with drops this season. Tyler Lockett dropped what would have been an easy 33-yard touchdown late in the third quarter of Sunday’s 27-13 win over the New York Giants. Smith put the ball right on the money.

Smith probably is not going to win MVP. The odds are stacked against him, especially because he plays in an offense that is unlikely to put up big enough numbers. That said, he certainly deserves more credit than he has gotten. It is nice to see someone like Orlovsky giving it to him.