After missing nine games a season ago due to a devastating hamstring injury, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has bounced back beautifully and is on pace for one of the best campaigns of his 10-year career.
Truth be told, if the Dallas defense hadn't cost the Cowboys several victories over the first 12 weeks of the season, we'd likely be talking about Dak being a top-five candidate in the race for NFL MVP. But with America's Team sitting at just 5-5-1 and sitting in 10th place in the NFC standings heading into Week 13, that's just not going to be a thing.
That said, however, Prescott is still very much in the mix to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year, an overlooked award that he nearly won in 2021, finishing a close second to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, despite having a better record, more touchdown passes, and fewer interceptions. To be fair, however, Burrow had a higher completion percentage, more passing yards, and a better passer rating.
As it stands now, at least in terms of betting odds, Prescott sits in second in this year's CPOY race as well, trailing only a player from one of the Cowboys' longtime rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. And that player, of course, is superstar running back Christian McCaffrey.
Cowboys' Dak Prescott trails only 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey in the NFL CPOY race
Dak has actually made a habit of having strong seasons after missing time the previous year, as two of the best years of his career fall into that category.
And this 2025 campaign is following suit, as Prescott, who became the Cowboys' all-time leader in passing yards in this past Sunday's win over the Philadelphie Eagles, ranks fifth among all NFL QBs in completion percentage (69.3), third in passing yards (2,941), tied for second in touchdown passes (23), seventh in passer rating (102.6), and first in QBR (74.0).
Dak's 87.7 overall offensive PFF grade also ranks second among quarterbacks, trailing only NFL MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford (93.4), who's having an absurd season for the Los Angeles Rams.
McCaffrey, meanwhile, is also putting together one of the best seasons of his career. Through the Niners' first 12 games, the three-time Pro Bowler has amassed 796 rushing yards and 785 receiving yards on a league-high 81 receptions. As such, his 1,581 total yards from scrimmage lead all NFL players, with Indianapolis Colts running back and league-leading rusher Jonathan Taylor sitting in second with 1,465.
Given his current totals, McCaffrey is also on pace to reach both 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards, a feat only accomplished three previous times in NFL history. But as McCaffrey is already a member of that exclusive club, hitting four digits in each category in 2019 while with the Carolina Panthers, he's looking to become the first to do it twice. The other two members, by the way, are Roger Craig (1985) and Marshall Faulk (1999).
So, it's easy to understand why McCaffrey, who missed all but four games for the 49ers a season ago, is the betting favorite in the Comeback Player of the Year race, getting -130 odds at DraftKings to win heading into Week 13. But Prescott isn't far behind at +110, with Aidan Hutchinson (+1100), Daniel Jones (+2000), and Stefon Diggs (+3000) rounding out the top five.