After two devasting injuries, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen won the 2017 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award at the annual NFL Honors ceremony on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Allen missed half of the 2015 season with a kidney issue, then missed the entirety of the 2016 season after he tore his right ACL in the season opener.
After back-to-back horrific injuries, Allen and others were unsure if he would ever be able to play at a high level again.
However, the 25-year-old North Carolina native proved the doubters wrong as he caught 102 passes for 1,393 yards and six touchdowns in 2017. He was also targeted 159 times, nearly 10 per game.
In addition to the accolades in the best season of his career, Allen became the first player in NFL history to record three straight games of at least 10 receptions, 100 receiving yards and one touchdown.
"I do know, I'm probably the best," Allen said on FS1’s Undisputed. "I am the best in the league. No question. I can do what those guys do. What they're doing, I'm doing it. No question about it."
In the final week of the season against the Oakland Raiders, Allen finished the game with nine catches, 133-yards, and one-touchdown in a must-win game for the Chargers.
Even though the Chargers failed to reach the playoffs, Allen and the Bolts recorded their first winning record since 2014.
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Allen’s proclamation during OTA’s of having a healthy year came to pass in a major way for the Chargers. The 2018 season looks brighter for the Bolts, and if Allen puts up another great season as he did last year, the Bolts could have a successful playoff run in the AFC.
Allen received 28 votes, beating out Minnesota quarterback Case Keenum, who had eight.
The NFL Honors Awards ceremony will air in its entirety at 9:00PM PST on NBC.
