One of the hottest debates over the last couple of weeks as the 2012 regular season is quickly coming to an end has been which player deserves to take home Comeback Player of the Year honors–Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning or Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. There’s no question both players are having MVP type seasons and are worthy of winning the award, but considering each player has overcome since last season–it’s a no brainer the award belongs to Manning.

Peterson deserves all of the credit in the world as he leads the league in rushing (1,600 yards) heading into Week 15 to go along with 10 rushing touchdowns considering how quickly he’s returned to dominant form after suffering a torn ACL in Week 16 of the 2011 season. However, that’s the key factor in this debate when compared to Manning–Peterson only missed one game last season.

With this in mind–how would a player qualify when he played most of last season?

When looking at everything Manning had to overcome just to have another shot at playing in the NFL, it’s a pretty remarkable story. For a player to miss an entire season after undergoing four neck surgeries only to bounce back and put up MVP numbers is just one of many reasons why Manning deserves the award.

Plus, when compared to the Vikings, the Broncos are legitimate Super Bowl contenders–which could end up being the biggest factor of all when deciding who deserves the award.

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