NFL Odds: Joe Flacco Enters Comeback Player Of The Year Conversation – originally posted on Sportslens.com
For the entirety of the 2023 NFL season, there has been one player who has sat atop the odds board as the most likely to win the Comeback Player of the Year award. Damar Hamlin entered the year as the runaway favorite, listed at -1500 by some outlets, as it was thought that all he would have to do was step foot onto the playing field, and he’d take home the hardware.
NFL Odds: Will Damar Hamlin Win Comeback POY?
Tedy Bruschi: Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa is NFL Comeback Player of the Year over Damar Hamlin
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— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) December 24, 2023
And while he is still the heavy favorite heading into the final two weeks of the season, there is a player who has entered the discussion and could give Hamlin a run for his money if things break correctly.
Damar Hamlin’s story transcends football. The NFL world stopped when he collapsed on the field last January due to a heart condition, and the game between the Bills and Bengals was ultimately called off as the concern was for the life of one of the players. It was a situation that not only affected the sports community, but Hamlin became something of a household name nationally for what the incident represented.
Throughout the spring and summer, Hamlin became increasingly more healthy. He was cleared to play over the summer, and was mostly a full participant throughout training camp in Buffalo.
But due to his lack of production and overall playing time, there are arguments being made that there are other players who deserve the award more for their on-field performances than off-field tribulations. Hamlin has been inactive in 10 of Buffalo’s 15 games so far, and plays primarily on special teams when he is suited up. He has played just 17 defensive snaps so far in 2023, with 16 of them coming in two contests. His only statistic for the season is 2 tackles.
Joe Flacco Rising Up The Board In Final Weeks
The Flacco effect is real
@AmariCooper9
@Browns pic.twitter.com/5kJFQaKH1N— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 25, 2023
A guy that hadn’t played a single snap this year until Week 13 has shot up the boards and now had the second-shortest odds. Joe Flacco has been a revelation for the QB-starving Cleveland Browns, who have won three games in a row with the nearly-39 year old at the helm, and are a win away from securing a playoff spot and still have an outside shot at winning the AFC North.
After Week 16’s action, Flacco is now listed at +300, some of the shortest odds that any NFL player besides Hamlin has enjoyed so far this year. The Browns still have two big games left on the schedule to solidify their postseason position and Flacco’s CBPOY status, as they will take on the Jets and Bengals over the final two weeks.
Baker Mayfield (+650), Matthew Stafford (+1200), and Tua Tagovailoa (+1400) are the only other candidates listed on the board.
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