SUMMARY
- Baker Mayfield emerged as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, defeating competitors Joe Flacco and Damar Hamlin.
- Ted Nguyen pointed out that a fake punt incident played a significant role in affecting Damar Hamlin's chances of winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
The two greats of American football, Joe Flacco, Damar Hamlin and Baker Mayfield, were fighting for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Ultimately, the 39-year-old Cleveland Browns quarterback got the better of the 25-year-old Buffalo Bills safety.
Flacco has been participating in the NFL since 2008, when he was picked from the draft by the Baltimore Ravens, and is one of the oldest players in the league. The player played for prominent franchises like the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets in his career.
Reason why Damar Hamlin failed to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year award over Joe Flacco
The fans were shocked that Damar Hamlin did not win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Despite carrying the Bills to the NFL Divisional round, Browns Flacco was handed the award. Many spectators and analysts believed the decision was unfair and began raising questions to the award distributors.
The fake punt ruined Damar Hamlin’s come back player of the year bid
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) February 9, 2024
The actual reason was revealed by an analyst, Ted Nguyen after Flacco won the award. Nguyen posted on his X account, “The fake punt ruined Damar Hamlin’s come back player of the year bid.” However, Bills fans stand beside the player for his contribution.
On social media, a fan wrote they will never forget the resilience of Damar Hamlin and the unbelievable comeback he made. Flacco earned 13 first-place votes and 151 points and Hamlin earned 21 first-place votes and 140 points.
Stats comparison between Joe Flacco and Damar Hamlin
Joe Flacco joined the Browns last season from New York Jets. Flacco played only five games in the 2023 regular season and completed 123 passes out of 204 attempts, also covered 1,616 passing yards, two rushing yards and eight interceptions. While in the postseason with the Browns, he played one game as C.J. Stroud’s Houston Texans knocked the Browns out in a wild-card round.
In the game, Flacco completed 34 passes out of 46 attempts, covering 307 passing yards, 13 rushing yards and two interceptions. With the Bills in the regular season, Hamlin performed only two solo and combined tackles in five games. Later, in the post-season round, he also performed 2 solo tackles and 2 combined tackles in 2 games, which is not very likely a Hamlin kind of thing.