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Former Ohio State Quarterback Joe Burrow Named NFL Comeback Player Of The Year

Burrow bounced back from a season-ending knee injury to lead the Bengals to the AFC Championship Game.

Andrew Lind

Former Ohio State and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was named the 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America on Friday afternoon.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow was on pace to break rookie passing records when he tore his ACL and MCL in the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team, which led to season-ending surgery and a lengthy rehab process.

Burrow bounced back to throw for 4,611 yards and team-record 34 touchdowns in 16 games this season, guiding Cincinnati to its first AFC North division title since 2015. He’s also performed well in the playoffs, throwing for 592 yards and two touchdown to lead the Bengals to the AFC Championship Game.

That includes a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round – the Bengals' first playoff victory in 31 years – and the top-seeded Tennessee Titans, which marked the first road playoff win in franchise history. They'll look to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVI with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday (3:05 p.m. on CBS).

Burrow – who played three seasons at Ohio State before transferring to LSU, where he won a national title and the 2019 Heisman Trophy – is just the second Bengals player to be named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, joining former quarterback Jon Kitna in 2003.

He beat out the likes of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa to win the award.

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Andrew Lind
ANDREW LIND

Andrew Lind is an Ohio State beat writer and photographer at BuckeyesNow, founder of The Ohio State Uniform Database and the NCAA and NFL writer at SportsLogos.net.

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