Greatest Comeback Seasons!

can he regain that old form come back so hard cost him all of last season went hopefully he is one of the best in the NFL they're talking about comeback player of the year he couldn't be more excited to get back out there there's nothing like a great comeback we know some of the best games but what about players the guys who defied the odds and put up career years after truly forgettable Seasons well that's why we're here so let's look at the best comeback seasons of all time Peyton Manning ended his career with a Super Bowl title but his storybook ending was far from guaranteed in 2010 it was business as usual as Manning posted his ninth straight Pro Bowl season [Music] but just months later an off-season neck surgery cast doubt about his future after 13 years four MVPs and a Lombardi in Indianapolis many thought his career was over Manning missed the entire 2011 season before being released as the Colts prepared for the Andrew Luck era but it wasn't the end of Peyton's story I'm very excited to begin the next chapter of my playing career for the Denver Broncos erasing all concerns Manning started every game in 2012 while throwing for over 4 600 yards and 37 scores the Broncos went from a 500 Squad to a top seed finishing with the NFL's second best scoring offense and a 13-3 record [Applause] Payton earned his sixth All-Pro nod finished second MVP voting and beat out another guy on our list for comeback player of the year Joe burrow was a top draft choice oozing with potential the LSU stud burst onto the scene in 2020 throwing for over 2500 yards and completing the most passes ever by a player over his first eight games but the borough Express came to a screeching halt after a major knee injury ended his season in week 11. tough moments here at FedEx field at Landover Maryland Joe burrow has just been carted into the Bengals locker room it is the left leg how did the 24 year old respond the following year just by Leading the Bengals to their first Super Bowl birth in 33 years burrow was locked in during his second season obliterating any doubts one dart at a time [Applause] touchdown he completed a league best 70.4 percent of his passes for over 4 600 yards and 34 scores as comeback player of the year the Bengals finished atop the AFC North before burrow threw for 244 yards and two scores in his playoff debut two weeks later he led an 18-point Road comeback against the mighty Chiefs and Cincinnati is heading to the Super Bowl they beat the hose at home wow Joe burrow no way burrow gave the Rams all he had in Super Bowl 56 but fell just to drive short of the team's first ever Lombardi Trophy Garrison Hurst finally found his Groove in 1998 after playing on three teams in Five Seasons the vet broke out for the 49ers rushing for nearly 1600 yards in the season opener he delivered one of history's most iconic runs so now they've got to start from deep in their end of the field and Garrison Hurst takes advantage of it he takes a handoff [Applause] [Applause] but tragedy struck just months later in the playoffs a gruesome ankle injury permanently damaged blood flow to his foot and effectively ended his career no player had ever returned from such a diagnosis but two years later Hurst did and he didn't just make it back onto the field he produced 12. Garcia gets to Hearst and Hearst is Off to the Races amazing they call the Trap Garrison Hurst had to burst I mean he hit that thing and then had another gear the 49ers went just 10 and 22 in two years without Hurst in 2001 they finished 12-4 Hearst amassed four 100 yard games and more than 1500 yards from scrimmage and a remarkable return he was the obvious choice for comeback Player of the Year while we're mainly diving into the best of the best there are several other comeback Seasons worth noting before we carry on let's name a few Doug Flutie spent eight years in the CFL before making his improbable return to the league left left South the 36 year old led the bells to a playoff berth in 1998 earning his first and only Pro Bowl selection in the process by 2013 injuries were piling up for Rob Gronkowski an ACL tear was just the latest ending a season after seven games but Gronk would Roar back producing over 1100 yards and 12 scores in 2014. Gronkowski like a runaway truck how do you tackle that guy he was comeback Player of the Year and in all pro Andrew Luck he missed all of 2017 with a lingering shoulder injury he returned the next year with maybe the best campaign of his career he was a pro bowler with nearly 4 600 yards and 39 scores but his best year would be his last luck retired at the age of 29. now back to the main attraction Kellen Winslow was getting quite the buzz in 1979 but the rookie played just seven games before a knee injury shelved him from of the season when the young Prospect hit the field again in 1980 many wondered if he'd ever reach his full potential the answer an unequivocal yes [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh he's something Winslow broke out in year two he racked up five 100 yard receiving games that season punctuated with a 10 catch 171-yard effort in week 16. Not only was the season one of the best comeback Seasons it was one of the best seasons period by a tight end the 23 year old set then records with 1290 receiving yards and a league High 89 receptions shattering Mike Ditka's previous high of 75. first down goal to go Jefferson the motion is remarkable quickness Winslow added nine scores and earned the first of three straight All-Pro nods the Chargers and their Air correl Attack finished the season at 11 and 5 with the League's best total offense Matthew Stafford's body paid the price for shouldering the Detroit offense in 2010 in his second year a shoulder injury held him to just three games but the next season the former number one pick put together a stellar comeback campaign if Stafford began his career dragging the Lions forward he launched them directly into orbit in 2011. third Nate Stafford time takes a shot for Calvin Johnson downfield Megatron got it Calvin Johnson all the way home touchdown Detroit Stafford started the season on a tear securing the team's first 5-0 start since 1956 the 23 year old put on a masterful passing display all season Stafford tossed 41 touchdown passes and became the second youngest player ever to throw for at least 5 000 yards Enzo shepler touchdown Detroit Lions Stafford threaded the needle this kid number nine that was a thread the needle throw that was a laser delivered by Stafford in the season finale he Uncorked 520 yards and five touchdowns his second five score game of the year oh and the Lions earned their first postseason birth of the Millennium in his lone playoff appearance he totaled 380 yards and three scores in a wild card loss John Stallworth was a playoff Legend in a four-time Super Bowl champion by 1983 so when he went down with a leg injury at age 31 many assumed his best days were behind him but the future Hall of Famer had different ideas instead of succumbing to Father Time Stallworth delivered a career year in 1984. on opening day he registered 167 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs that would set the tone for the season along with a play fake now coming on the near side there's stall he's got it at the eight breaks a tackle over the five he goes all the way touchdown Pittsburgh the veteran cracked the 100-yard mark seven times adding a three touchdown day on two of those occasions stalworth posted career highs across the board finishing the year with 80 receptions for nearly 1400 yards and 11 scores in his final postseason game the pro bowler snagged four catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns still the Steelers fell to Dan Marino and the Dolphins now for some more honorable mentions a hamstring issue held Isaac Bruce to just five games in 1998 but he bounced back in a miraculous title run the pro bowler racked up over a thousand yards and 12 scores in 1999 then hauled in the game-winner in Super Bowl 34. [Applause] benched for most of 2007 Chad Pennington left the Jets with everything to prove in Miami he did just that number 10 completed a league best 67.4 percent of his passes earning his second comeback Player of the Year award the Dolphins went from 1 in 15 to 11 and 5 in 2008 and can't forget Eric Berry's inspiring comeback Story the Pro Bowl safety was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 but he beat Hodgkin's lymphoma in a single off-season and returned in 2015 as an All-Pro back into the deep Dives we've got Troy Polamalu the Steeler Legend was coming off his second Super Bowl and his fifth straight Pro Bowl when the injury bug struck in his prime is blocked trying to pick up the fumble oh boy you can see algae Crumpler came down right on that knee number 43 played just five games in 2009 but didn't miss a beat when he returned to action in 2010. Matty Ice first pass and it's picked off Troy polamalo with the interception Polamalu flew around the field in signature fashion he tied a career high with seven interceptions deflected 11 more passes forced to fumble and logged 63 combined tackles including six behind the line of scrimmage for his efforts he was named defensive player of the year the 29 year old would miss two late regular season contests but returned for Pittsburgh's post-season run playing his third and final Super Bowl Montana could very well be his third Super Bowl MVP award four Lombardi trophies three Super Bowl MVPs and eight Pro bowls would be enough for most people but Joe Montana isn't most people after back-to-back League MVPs a crushing hit in the 1990 NFC Championship knocked Montana out of commission and eventually out of San Francisco [Applause] chased out finally hit from behind the ball's loose and Montana is still in his hands and knees right there is a hit Leonard Marshall coming from the backside boy Montana missed the entire 91 season and played just one game in 92 with Steve Young blossoming into a star the Niner shipped the 37 year old to Kansas City there he was still Joe Cool the living legend returned with a pro bowl season in 1993 going 8-3 as a starter he threw for 2100 yards and 13 scores while leading the Chiefs to a playoff berth there in typical fashion he engineered two masterful wins leading Casey to their first AFC title game since 1969. looks like acts as a pass into the end zone I don't believe what I just saw Montana magic is back Montana would play one last season in KC before retiring as the greatest quarterback of all time Randall Cunningham was one of football's most dynamic quarterbacks earning three straight Pro bowls in Philly Randolph thinking now rolling with the football and being flattened at the 10 but throwing the balls for a touchdown he whistled at the giving dials in the corner of the end zone but while defenses couldn't bring him down a knee injury did in 1991. Cunningham spent the next four years just trying to stay on the field before retiring in 1996 the 34 year old made his way back with with the Vikings a year later while he spent most of 97 as a backup his number was called late in the season Cunningham showed signs of life and a heroic comeback in the Wild Card round but nobody was prepared for what happened next [Music] paired with Chris Carter and rookie Randy Moss Cunningham orchestrated one of the greatest offenses in NFL history the 35 year old had a career year throwing for 3 700 yards and 34 scores he led the Vikes to a then record 556 points and a franchise best 15-1 record the veteran tossed four touchdowns on four separate occasions and finished with a league best 108 passer rating are you keeping up before we get into the final stretch we've got a few more quick mentions at age 36 Carson Palmer put together a career defining season Palmer throws over the middle into the end zone caught brush up touchdown returning from another major injury the vet posted career highs with nearly 4 700 passing yards and 35 touchdowns he finished second MVP voting as the Cardinals reached the NFC title game defensive end Hugh Douglas played just four games in 1999 but he returned a year later with his first and only All-Pro campaign Douglas recorded a career-best 15 sacks and tied the league lead with 21 tackles for loss and how about Michael Vick his career was all but over in 2007 but number seven got a second chance with the Eagles and launching downfield for Deshawn Jackson Who accelerates come the opening play and all the way for a touchdown in 2010 Vic looked better than ever notching 30 total touchdowns throwing for over 3 000 yards and rushing for nearly 700 more in a pro bowl effort now let's finish up this list in style overtime quarter number two he's got time throws down Phil Smith at the 45 to the 40. touchdown Steve Smith Steve Smith was on a meteoric rise in 2004 coming off a dominant postseason run in a near Super Bowl title in just his third NFL season the Panthers wide-out was poised to be a true game breaker instead it was his left leg that broke ending his season after just one game in 2005 he returned to the field vowing to make up for lost time and he was true to his word the undersized receiver put up career numbers earning the Triple Crown of receiving Smith led the league with 103 catches 1563 yards and 12 touchdowns in his signature fashion The Comeback player of the year was the hardest working guy on the field the long fading back got time he throws it's complete first down Smith breaks away 20 15 10 5. touchdown passers wow after finishing just seven and nine without Smith in 2004 Carolina returned to form finishing 11-5 the 26 year old again dominated the postseason amassing 335 receiving yards and five total scores in the divisional round he erupted for a franchise best 12 catches 218 yards and two scores against the Bears second and eight Blitz erlacker was coming Smith gets behind the defense there's a flag down Smith makes the reception a move and he's into the end zone in his first 10 seasons Dan Marino rewrote the history books ushering in a new standard for quarterbacking in the NFL coming off his seventh Pro Bowl selection the world expected more of the same in 1993. instead the Mourinho era Came Crashing Down When a torn Achilles ended his season and possibly his career but the 33 year old picked up right where he left off in 1994. fourth and five shotgun Mourinho throws deep downfield it is caught by Friar touchdowns touchdown dolphins on opening day just 11 months removed from his devastating injury Mourinho was in Peak form he threw for 473 yards and five touchdowns including the game-winner against New England overall the Dolphins Legend produced his best statistical season in eight years he finished in the top three with over 4 400 passing yards and 30 touchdowns in week 13 down late against the Jets Mourinho pulled off one of football's most stunning finishes I believe Marina was saying I'm gonna fight this we are seeing another spectacular effort by Mourinho who fires touchdown you know what the Jets are thinking he's going to take the ball caught into the ground they all start they catch the Jets napping and finally we have the one and only Adrian Peterson there may not have been a better runner in this era but Minnesota was struggling mightily in 2011 and things went from bad to worse on this play a good ankle tackle Peterson is slow to get up and in the first half boy that is a painful Peterson oh that's ugly you feel absolutely poor for Adrian Peterson the torn ACL was a brutal blow for a stud back in his prime but Peterson got right back up just eight months after the surgery he was back in the saddle breaks the tackle at the 25 breaks another of the 30. and his loose Henry is inside the 30 20 10 touchdown oh it's an 82-yard touchdown run by Adrian the longest of his career forget finding his sea legs Peterson left the entire league in his wake in 2012 He piled up 348 carries and averaged 160 rushing yards over the last 10 games of the season and a must-win week 17 bout Peterson became just the seventh rusher in NFL history to amass 2 000 yards and off is to Peterson gets by Raji gets by Pickett gets into the secondary and MD Jennings forces him out of Bounds at the 40. a 20-yard run and now he is over 2 000 yards for the season the seventh running back in the history of the league to get there in fact all day end of the year just eight yards shy of Dickerson's single season record he added 12 touchdowns to boo and was League MVP all on a reconstructed left knee behind his historic campaign the Vikings went from 3-13 to a wild card verb the NFL is the ultimate showcase for grit determination and downright superhuman ability every team every player has its ups and downs but these comeback Seasons remind us that no one is ever truly down for the count and that's why we watch

Channel: NFL Throwback

Views: 170,489

Keywords: nfl, american football, nfl history, nfl highlights, nfl vault, nfl throwback

Id: dvQ02ry3qKY

Length: 21min 18sec (1278 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 09 2022