2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year race coming down to the wire

A quarterback has won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award each of the last five seasons, and that trend is likely to continue this season. 

Several players have made strong cases, but the award will likely be decided in the last three weeks of the season in such a tight race. Here’s a look at five possible front-runners for AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

Just months removed from a spinal cord injury, Stafford ranks 10th in the NFL in passing touchdowns (21), 11th in passing yards (3,320) and 14th in passer rating (90.9) among QBs to play in 13 or more games. Oh, and he has the Rams in playoff position as the current No. 7 seed. 

Coming back from that serious of an injury at 35 after missing half of the previous season should have Stafford as the front-runner on a lot of voter’s ballots.

2. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mayfield isn’t coming back from an injury, but his rebound season after playing 12 games for two different teams while struggling to keep his career afloat is admirable. He’s tied for eighth in touchdowns (24) and ranks eighth in passer rating (94.7) and 12th in passing yards (3,315). 

Perhaps more impressively, he has the Buccaneers occupying the No. 4 seed in the NFC and tied with the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South.

3. Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns
While this may seem to be a bit of a stretch considering Flacco has only played in three games this season, he’s won two of those games while throwing for 300-plus yards in back-to-back outings and he’s kept the Browns from falling out of the playoff picture (they’re currently the No. 5 seed in the AFC). 

It’s quite impressive to look at what Flacco has done coming straight off his couch. Considering the number of starting QBs that have gotten injured this season, one has to wonder how many of those teams like the Jets or Vikings are kicking themselves for not giving Flacco a call.

4. Damar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills

Though Hamlin is the betting favorite to win COPY, per oddschecker, the reality is he’s played just 96 snaps in four games this season. Some may argue he deserves to win the award for just stepping foot on a field given what he went through last year. And while they’re not wrong, he’s played less than one-fourth of the season and hasn’t really contributed much.

5. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

I have Jackson fifth because he played in 12 of 17 games last season, so it’s not exactly like he’s returning from a devastating injury that robbed him of most of the season like New York Jets running back Breece Hall. 

That said, Jackson is thriving in first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system, ranking 15th in passing yards (3,105) and leading all QBs in rushing yards (741).