Comeback Player of the Year odds: Damar Hamlin, Joe Flacco lead NFL's best stories

With just one week left in the NFL regular season, there's one last chance for players to make their case for some NFL awards. The 2023-24 season awards will be given out at the NFL Honors on Feb. 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The league's MVP, offensive and defensive player of the year, offensive and defensive rookie of the year, and more will be given out at the awards show.

One of the newer awards among the NFL Honors is the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award. The league briefly gave it out from 1963 to 1966 before taking a hiatus until 1998. In the 25 seasons since, a player has been given the award for overcoming adversity in prior season(s) to perform at a standout level. That adversity can be poor performance or injury.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is the reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year with his Pro Bowl-caliber season in 2022.

Here are the favorites for the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award with odds from BetMGM:

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1. Damar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills (-300)

Hamlin was arguably the biggest story of the 2022-23 season after collapsing during a Monday Night Football game in Week 17. The second-year safety suffered cardiac arrest in the first quarter and received emergency medical treatment on the field on Jan. 2.

Five days later, Hamlin was released from a Cincinnati hospital and was walking and breathing on his own with no signs of neurological damage. Six months later, he played in his first padded practice of the off-season.

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Hamlin made his debut this season in Week 10 against Denver in the Broncos' 24-22 win on Monday Night Football. He played in 26 total snaps and recorded one tackle. He played 23 snaps two weeks later in the Bills' 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Considering what happened on Jan. 2, 2023, Hamlin is fortunate to have made a full recovery, let alone a full return to the football field. He's the favorite here for very good reason reminiscent of former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who won the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award by returning to the field after overcoming Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

2. Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns (+200)

Flacco spent more than a decade with the Baltimore Ravens and won a Super Bowl with them before signing with the Denver Broncos for the 2019 season. The next three years saw him play for the New York Jets, including a 1-3 record in starts last season and a 75.2 quarterback rating.

Flacco wasn't on an active roster for most of the year but signed with the Cleveland Browns after starter Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder injury.

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He started slowly in a Week 13 Browns' loss to the Los Angeles Rams, throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns as well as one interception. A week later, things changed.

From Week 14 through Week 17, Flacco threw for at least 300 yards and two touchdowns in four consecutive Browns victories. He'll have the week off after helping Cleveland secure a wild card spot in the playoffs. In a year without Hamlin's comeback story, Flacco would be the frontrunner.

3. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1500)

The Browns moved on from Mayfield after the 2021 season, trading him to the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 off-season. Mayfield went 1-5 as a starter with the Panthers before being released in early December. The Rams claimed him off waivers and started the former No. 1 overall pick for four games. He went 1-3 and posted a 79.0 quarterback rating overall in 2022.

In the 2023 off-season, Mayfield signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year, $8.5 million deal. He said he was "never going to be Tom Brady" but proceeded to play one of the best seasons of his career.

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Mayfield's gone 8-8 as a starter for Tampa Bay and posted career-highs in completion percentage (64.4%), passing touchdowns (28), and quarterback rating (95.9). The Buccaneers are in play for the NFC South title in their season finale against the Panthers.

4. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (+8000)

Stafford struggled in 2022 and went through the league's concussion protocol multiple times before ending up on injured reserve by early December. A year after a Super Bowl title and Stafford and the Rams finished third-to-last in the NFC with a 5-12 record.

Stafford played his fewest games since 2019 and had his worst quarterback rating for a season since 2014. Things were not good for the defending champions.

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A year later and things look vastly different. Stafford's started 15 games and earned a Pro Bowl spot in leading the Rams' offense in a bounce-back season. Los Angeles locked up a playoff spot ahead of Week 18 and he earned a week off. Stafford won this award in 2014 but, given the stories of players ahead of him, is a long shot to be the second-ever two-time Comeback Player of the Year award winner.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Comeback Player of the Year odds: Hamlin, Flacco favorites for NFL award