Bengals' Joe Burrow Wins 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow was honored as the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year for the 2021 season.

Burrow had a promising start to his rookie season before tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee.

For fans, the callbacks to Carson Palmer were all too obvious, with Palmer suffering a major injury in his first full year as Cincinnati's starter. The 2002 Heisman Trophy winner never quite recaptured the magic he displayed in 2005.

Fortunately for the Bengals, Burrow was electrifying in his second year. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick threw for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4) and adjusted yards per attempt (9.0), according to Pro Football Reference.

Reuniting Burrow with former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase proved to be a shrewd move. Chase torched opposing secondaries to the tune of 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus named Burrow as its Comeback Player of the Year in January ahead of the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott, who was limited to five games in 2020 after suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle:

"Joe Burrow's knee injury was far more catastrophic and destructive, and there was real concern that he might not return the same player, let alone take significant strides in Year 2. Burrow didn't just get back to his previous play but took a huge leap forward. Being rested in Week 18 was the only thing that stopped him from finishing the season as the No. 1-ranked quarterback in PFF grade. Burrow's performance was incredible, but doing it after a knee injury that threatened to seriously change the path of his career makes him the Comeback Player of the Year."

With Burrow at the helm, Cincinnati not only claimed an AFC North crown but also won its first playoff game since the 1990 season on the way to the Super Bowl.

As the Marvin Lewis era drew to a close, it looked like the Bengals were falling back into the cycle of futility that predated Lewis' tenure. The team failed to post a winning record in his final three seasons and then won six games total in Zac Taylor's first two years.

But Burrow symbolizes a change for the organization. A level of swagger permeated the 2021 Bengals, something that wasn't really true of the playoff teams they had when Andy Dalton was the starting quarterback.

Cincinnati had some bad losses this past year—defeats to the Chicago Bears and New York Jets and a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Browns jump out—but the team also knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch a division title. It also went 4-0 against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bengals are still searching for their first Super Bowl title, and Burrow may just bring it to them Sunday.