The NFL regular season has almost reached its end with the exciting postseason, and then the NFL honors are just around the corner before we head into the Super Bowl LVIII. Quite a few teams and their players have left their marks this season for serious Super Bowl contention or the MVP race, but the Comeback Player of the Year award is still filled with uncertainty. Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin’s story of making a comeback from a life-threatening cardiac arrest has moved many, making him one of the top contenders. But a majority of NFL fans are looking the other way for no one other than Joe Flacco, who has moved mountains this season with the Browns.
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Everyone remembers the heart-wrenching story when Hamlin lay quietly on the field, surrounded by his teammates, while a medical team tried to revive him in a needle-drop silent arena. Fortunately, he was revived and later released from the hospital after only five days. Ever since then, Hamlin has made strides off the field by trying to spread awareness about heart attacks. However, on the field, he hasn’t been able to show last season’s aggression after recording only two tackles in 5 games.
Despite the on-field struggle, Hamlin is still the top favorite pick for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, as per BetMGM. Following the Bills’ Week 17 win against the Patriots, he currently has -450 odds. The star safety had -600 in Week 16 when he played in the team’s win against the Chargers.
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It’s also worth noting that Hamlin has recently gotten a tattoo on the back of his neck to commemorate his cardiac arrest from last year. The tattoo is a stable pulse running through his signature heart-hand gesture, which the NFL recently shared on their Instagram page. However, the majority of fans voiced their disappointment in the league, adding that Joe Flacco might get toppled by Hamlin despite having a better comeback story.
Will Joe Flacco Get Overshadowed by Hamlin?
As soon as the league shared the picture of Hamlin’s tattoo, fans were less than impressed. One of the fans quipped how the Bills’ safety spent more time getting this tattoo than on the field. Another demanded that the league shouldn’t crown him as the Comeback Player of the Year. Have a look:
Damar Hamlin gets obliterated by fans after the NFL shares his neck tattoo of a pulse running through his signature hand-heart gesture pic.twitter.com/b3bJhNfAle
— ParziTalksNFL (@nfl_parzi) January 5, 2024
Fans are rooting for Flacco for a reason! After Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury, he was recruited to a team that has long hated him, as he played for the Browns’ biggest divisional rival, the Ravens, for over a decade. Browns TE David Njoku even jokingly called him a ‘spy’ when he was recruited to the team.
However, a lot has changed since then, as Flacco went on to clinch four back-to-back wins after a not-so-impressive debut. His 8 interceptions have been troubling, but the 13 touchdowns and 1616 yards were plenty for the team to secure a playoff berth. If this isn’t a comeback from last season’s 1-3 record in starts and 75.2 QB ratings with the Jets, nothing is.
According to BetMGM, the star QB is currently second in line for the Comeback Player of the Year award. He currently has +400 odds, which improved from last week’s 1200. As Hamlin’s odds took quite a hit this week, perhaps by the end of the postseason, Flacco will surpass him. Only time will tell.
