Sports are always filled with incredible storylines and second chances.
In the brutal sport of the professional football, players suffer serious injuries that cause concerns for the remainder of their professional career. There are also players that find themselves down significantly mentally. Whenever these players come back from a major injury or problem and perform at a Pro Bowl level, it is one of the biggest success stories of the year.
There are three players that are making huge plays for NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa are all front-runners for the Comeback Player of the Year.
Prescott has been the heart and soul of the Cowboys since taking over from an injured Tony Romo as a starter before week one of his rookie season in 2016. There is a legitimate argument that no other player in the NFL has more of an impact than Prescott on the Cowboys. That is why it was brutal for Dallas to see their star player suffer a compound fracture and dislocate his right ankle in week five last season against the New York Giants. In five games with Prescott, the Cowboys averaged 32.6 points per game as opposed to the 11 games without him, where the Cowboys only averaged 21.1 points per game. The Cowboys finished the 2020 season with an overall record of 6-10.
The Cowboys are healthier now and have seen significant improvement as a team. A big part of the reason is Prescott returning as the main impact for a team that has Super Bowl talent on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys are second in the NFC Playoff race and have already clinched their first NFC East Divisional title since 2018. Prescott is playing at a high-level once again.
In the first 14 games of the season, Prescott has thrown for 365-of-531 completions for a completion percentage of 68.7%, 3,928 yards, 29 touchdowns, ten interceptions and a quarterback rating of 100.5. He is ninth in the league in total passing yards accounted for. Prescott is leading the Cowboys to an impressive performance, as they rank first in the league in points per game (30.5) and third in passing yards per game (282.7). Prescott's leadership and control of the team is one of the most impressive performances this season. He has certainly not lost a step since returning from a brutal ankle injury.
The Cincinnati Bengals felt they hit the jackpot when they were able to select the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner in LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They were looking to see how much progress he would bring in his first season in the league, but that progress was cut short ten games into his rookie season. Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in week 11 against the Washington Football Team when his own guard pulled his defensive lineman down with him on Burrow's knee.
Burrow was able to fully recover in time for the 2021 NFL season despite the serious injury. In 15 games this season, he is having fantastic performances as he has brought the Bengals from worst to first in the AFC North. The Bengals are currently 9-6, in first place of the AFC North and third place in the AFC playoff picture. The Bengals are a few games away from their first AFC North title and their first playoff appearance since 2015 thanks to the leadership and playmaking abilities of Burrow.
So far this season, Burrow has thrown for 336-of-481 completions for a completion percentage of 69.9%, 4,165 yards, 30 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 105. He is sixth in the league in passing yards thrown. He leads one of the most dynamic and well-balanced offenses in the league. After a rough start to NFL career, Burrow looks to be well ahead of schedule of production for the Bengals as they look to become the new face of the AFC North.
After a stellar rookie season in 2019, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa wanted to continue his tremendous production as one of the NFL's best pass rushers. That goal for the 2020 NFL season was cut short when Bosa suffered a torn ACL against the New York Jets. With one of their best playmakers and already established defensive leaders out early in the season, the 49ers finished the year with an overall record of 6-10.
Bosa and the 49ers are back in position to potentially make another big playoff run this postseason. In 15 games this season, Bosa has accounted for 46 total tackles, 38 solo tackles, 19 tackles for loss (most in the league), 15 sacks (tied for third-most in the league) and four forced fumbles. He continues to be one of the most disruptive and consistent pass rushers in the league as he can create chaos in the opposing offense's backfield.
The last defensive player to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award was in 2015 when Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry was returning from a serious treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma that was diagnosed in early December of the 2014 season. It is not an award that favors quarterbacks, but Bosa needs an MVP-caliber performance for the remainder of the season in order to separate himself from Prescott and Burrow.