The biggest sports comebacks of 2020

Patrick Mahomes continues to write his legend, and his comeback against the Texans to begin Kansas City's 2019-20 playoff quest will likely be one of his most memorable. Seemingly everything went wrong for the Chiefs with an early 24-0 deficit vs. Houston, but KC had a quick turnaround with 28 unanswered points in the second quarter before winning 51-31.

Anthony didn't even finish the 2018-19 season on an NBA roster, and yet he played a key role for the Trail Blazers during the regular season and playoffs in 2019-20. The former star averaged 15.4 points in 58 regular season games and was similarly productive in the playoffs at age 36.

Sacramento trailed Minnesota by 27 points in the third quarter and by 17 points with only 2:49 left in the fourth, but somehow managed a miraculous come from behind victory 133-129 in overtime. Buddy Hield starred with 42 points, shooting 14-of-24 from the field.

Bard was the best story in baseball during 2020, as a former MLB pitcher who lost control of his pitches early in his career but won a roster spot with the Rockies seven years after his previous major league appearance. Not only did Bard make the roster, but he recorded six saves for Colorado.

Bauer had a poor 2019 season between Cleveland and Cincinnati, posting a 4.48 ERA in 34 starts. After his struggles, he won the NL Cy Young with the Reds, posting a 1.73 ERA and fanning 100 batters in 73 innings en route to free agency.

Returning from a major knee injury, Chubb has been able to regain the ability he showed as a rookie in 2018 for the Broncos. Through 12 games, he recorded 7.5 sacks as a key cog in the Denver defense.

The Chiefs came back from double-digit deficits in each of their three wins in route to winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history. The team trailed San Francisco 20-10 in the fourth quarterback before the heroics of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Damien Williams. Kansas City managed to score 21 points in short order to win 31-20.

Carrasco returned from leukemia late in 2019 and capped off that return with a complete comeback in 2020. He posted a 2.91 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 68 innings as a key part of Cleveland's starting rotation.

The first overall draft choice in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fultz looked like a bust early. After overcoming injury, he had a new start with the Magic in 2019-20 and came on strong, averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game.

Gregorius missed much of 2019 with an elbow injury but reunited with former Yankees manager Joe Girardi in Philadelphia for 2020. He appeared in every game for Philadelphia, hitting .284-10-40.

Gronk came out of retirement to join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and has been a key part of the offense. The tight end had 505 yards receiving and four touchdowns through 12 games.

With their backs against the loss trailing the playoff series 2-1, the Maple Leafs were down 3-0 to the Blue Jackets 14:18 into the third period. A frantic final four minutes of regular saw Toronto score three goals to tie the game, including a Zach Hyman goal to make the game 3-3 with only 23 points remaining. Auston Matthews scored the game-winner 13:10 into overtime. 

Myers lost his starting job with the Padres in 2019 despite a hefty salary, posting just a .739 OPS. He was able to reemerge as a starter on a very good San Diego roster in 2020, with a relative career year hitting .288-15-40 with a .959 OPS.

Newton's return from a major foot injury has been inconsistent, but he's posted some excellent performances for the Patriots despite a limited supporting cast. He was 6-5 as the Pats starter through his first 11 starts.

Dallas superstar Luka Doncic helped architect one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history, as the Mavericks overcame a 21-point second-quarter deficit to beat the Clippers 135-133 in overtime. Doncic had one of the best games of his career with 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, including a game-winning three at the buzzer.

Nylander was a quickly developing star early in his career with the Maple Leafs, but he struggled in 2018-19 with only 27 points in 54 games. He was able to come back nicely last season with 59 points in 68 games, including a career-high 31 goals.

Dallas has had a forgettable 2020 season, but their first win of the year was something to remember. Down to Atlanta 20-0 early in the game and 29-10 at halftime, the Cowboys came up big late. They were able to close a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes of the game, headlined by an incredible onside kick recovery. A 46-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein eventually closed out the game to help Dallas win 40-39.

Roethlisberger was lost in Week 2 of 2019 due to a major elbow injury. He returned to lead the team to an 11-0 start in 2020 and had 27 touchdowns passes in 12 games.

Smith's comeback in 2020 has been the stuff of legend, going from a major leg injury two years ago that nearly killed him to leading Washington under center. He led the team to a three-game winning streak, including an improbable win over the unbeaten Steelers in Week 13.

Tagovailoa suffered a major hip injury in his final season at Alabama that some feared might end his football career. He was still drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by Miami and has made his return to the field with the possibly playoff-bound Dolphins.

Verrett has overcome multiple major injuries in his NFL career to be a quality cornerback again. He played a combined six games from 2016-2019 but has been a major part of the 49ers defense.

After his game seemed to stagnate in Miami, Whiteside was able to rebound last season for Portland. He averaged 15.5 points per game and a league-best 2.9 blocks, adding 13.5 rebounds per contest in the regular season.