Comeback Player of the Year; First-Team All-Pro
Speaking of players who made comebacks, this one was crazy. Peyton Manning is Tennessee football’s greatest legend in the NFL, and after four neck surgeries kept him out for the entire 2011 season, the Indianapolis Colts went from Super Bowl contenders to worst team in the league. With Andrew Luck available as the No. 1 pick, Manning was shockingly cut.
Nobody knew if he would be able to play again, but John Elway and the Denver Broncos took a shot on him. Manning choosing Denver resulted in Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow needing to find another place to play after going to the playoffs in 2011, ironically.
Anyway, the start to the year was rough. Denver fell to 2-3 early, and Manning was putting up stats but didn’t look like himself. However, they found their stride against the San Diego Chargers, coming back from a 24-0 deficit to win 35-24. Manning had three touchdowns and over 300 yards, proving he was back.
Denver wouldn’t lose the rest of the way in the regular season, earning the top seed in the AFC. Manning led the league in completion percentage at 68.6 and total QBR at 79.6. He had 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns on the year with only 11 interceptions, and were it not for Adrian Peterson having a 2,000-yard season, he would have won MVP.