Until the moment it occurred, Alex Smith’s return to the football field seemed more like a dream than a possibility.
His motivation and willpower gave him the chance not only to continue his career, but also to elevate the Washington Football Team to its first NFC East crown and post-season appearance since 2015. And for that, Smith was officially announced as the Comeback Player of NFL 2020 AP the year during Saturday NFL Honors ceremony.
Smith won the award in an overwhelming victory, winning 49 out of 50 votes, with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger getting the only other vote.
In all likelihood, a simple activation of a game day would have placed the 36-year-old among the top candidates for the prize. But with each release he received on his way to recover from his devastating leg injury in 2018, the optimism surrounding his ability to play again has grown.
That hope was finally realized in Week 5, when Smith replaced an injured Kyle Allen against the Rams. He completed nine passes for 37 yards and took six bags in an eventual defeat. Although his unbelievable return did not lead to victory that day, the mere fact that Smith was available and resisted the LA pass race was nothing short of a miracle.
It would take him four weeks to see more action, again replacing an injured Allen in a narrow loss to the Giants. Smith was elected titular the following week against Lions in a game that took place three days before the two-year anniversary of his leg injury. Smith recorded 38 submissions in 55 attempts at 390 yards, all career highs, narrowly defeated.
With Allen on the IR, Ron Rivera named Smith as a full-time starter. After winning the Bengals in Week 11, his first victory since Week 9 of 2018, Smith and his teammates demolished the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. In Week 13, with the world watching even closer than usual, Smith took Washington 4-7 to the unthinkable: a historic victory over the Steelers 11-0. He shot for 296 yards and a score in triumph.
A strain on his right calf in Week 14 limited Smith to ending the season, forcing him to lose two of the last three games of the regular season and a wild card against the Buccaneers. One wonders how things could have happened if he remained healthy, but that doesn’t matter in light of what the veteran accomplished. In his six starts, Smith compiled 1,220 yards (68% completion rate), five TDs and five choices.
Few who witnessed the events of November 18, 2018 could have predicted what Smith did in 2020. In his 10th game with Washington, Smith suffered a spiral fracture and an open fracture in his right tibia and fibula. The scene evoked memories of the great franchisee Joe Theismann, who broke the leg that ended his career that same day in 1985.