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2 Bengals are serious Comeback Player of the Year contenders

Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon are in contention for Comeback Player of the Year in 2021.

Minnesota Vikings v Cincinnati Bengals Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Bengals’ offense is scoring points upon points, and two of its leaders are in the race for a major award.

Both Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon are in the top three in the Comeback Player of the Year race.

According to Las Vegas oddsmakers, Burrow and Dak Prescott are tied for the best odds to win the award at +500.

Burrow has completed 69.3 percent of his throws for 2,835 yards and 22 touchdowns through only 11 games. Prescott has also completed 69 percent of his passes, and has 3,170 yards with 23 touchdowns. He missed even more games than Burrow did last year, though his recovery process has probably much easier.

Mixon and Nick Bosa are tied for third at +1600.

After missing ten games last year, Mixon has rebounded with 208 carries for 924 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He is currently third in the NFL in rushing yards and total touchdowns, while coming in fourth in yards from scrimmage.

Bosa, on the other hand, has 11 sacks (fourth in the NFL) and a league-leading 16 tackles for a loss. His numbers are already better through 11 games than they were his entire rookie season, after which he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. He missed 14 games with an ACL tear in 2020.

After that on the list are Carson Wentz and James Conner at +2000.

The last three players to win the award were Alex Smith, Ryan Tannehill, and Andrew Luck. Just like other awards, Comeback Player of the Year favors quarterbacks. If Burrow keeps playing the way he has been, then he should be in good shape to win it.