Tag: Comeback Player of the Year

Jan 29, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) hands off to running back Christian McCaffrey (23) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Christian McCaffrey, 4 QBs named finalists for MVP award

Posted on | by Field Level Media

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and four postseason quarterbacks were named the finalists for the NFL Most Valuable Player award, announced Thursday.

The Associated Press awards in eight categories, including MVP, will be handed out Feb. 8 at the 13th annual NFL Honors ceremony.

Joining McCaffrey as a finalist are his teammate, Brock Purdy, and Purdy’s fellow quarterbacks — Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys).

Jackson earned MVP honors in 2019. Last year’s winner, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, was not among the finalists.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who triumphantly returned to play this season after going into cardiac arrest on the field during a game in Cincinnati in January 2023, led the finalists in the Comeback Player of the Year category.

The final group also included Joe Flacco, who went from out-of-work quarterback to leading the Cleveland Browns into the playoffs.

Finalists for all eight postseason awards are:

Most Valuable Player
–Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills quarterback
–Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback
–Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers running back
–Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys quarterback
–Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers quarterback

Defensive Player of the Year
–DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys cornerback
–Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end
–Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns defensive end
–Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys linebacker
–T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker

Offensive Player of the Year
–Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins wide receiver
–Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback
–CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
–Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers running back
–Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys quarterback

Offensive Rookie of the Year
–Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions running back
–Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions tight end
–Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver
–Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons running back
–C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans quarterback

Defensive Rookie of the Year
–Will Anderson, Houston Texans defensive end
–Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle
–Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback
–Kobie Turner, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle
–Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks cornerback

Comeback Player of the Year
–Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns quarterback
–Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety
–Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback
–Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams quarterback
–Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins quarterback

Coach of the Year
–Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
–John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
–DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
–Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
–Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Assistant Coach of the Year
–Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator
–Mike Macdonald, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator
–Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator
–Jim Schwartz, Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator
–Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans offensive coordinator

–Field Level Media

Aug 13, 2022; Landover, Maryland, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) participates in warmups prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield popular with public for Comeback POY

Posted on | by Field Level Media

With an injury-plagued 2021 season behind him and on a new team, Baker Mayfield has a fresh start in 2022.

The betting public likes the recipe for a comeback with the Carolina Panthers.

Mayfield, named starting quarterback of the Panthers, is receiving the largest share of the handle on futures betting for NFL Comeback Player of the Year at DraftKings.

Mayfield was tied for the fourth-shortest odds at +800. His 20 percent of the handle was spread across just 6 percent of the total bets, signaling some high-money wagers are among the plays.

The former No. 1 overall draft pick also raked in the third-largest share of the handle for the same award at BetMGM, as of Tuesday’s data. At +1200 at the time (now up to +800), Mayfield received 11.8 percent of the handle and 4.8 percent of the tickets.

His competition includes his new Panthers teammate, Christian McCaffrey. The oft-injured running back led the field at BetMGM in both share of the handle (16 percent) and share of the total tickets (20 percent). Those shares were 13 percent of the handle and 13 percent of the bets at DraftKings. McCaffrey was +750 at both sportsbooks.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is the +400 favorite at both DraftKings and BetMGM. He’s raked in 30 percent of the total bets for Comeback Player of the Year at DraftKings, with 13 percent of the handle. His handle share at BetMGM (14.8 percent) was second-highest, on 9.2 percent of tickets.

Mayfield, 27, led Cleveland to the playoffs in 2020, the woebegone franchise’s first appearance since 2002.

He spent much of the 2021 campaign playing through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder before finally being placed on injured reserve on Jan. 5. The Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, gave him a record-setting guaranteed contract and eventually dealt Mayfield to Carolina last month.

Carolina opens the regular season against Cleveland on Sept. 11.

–Field Level Media