Top 10 Greatest NFL Players Without a Super Bowl Ring

Barry Sanders #20, Running Back for the Detroit Lions during the National Football Conference Central game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 10 November 1991 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida, United States. The Buccaneers won the game 30 - 21. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images) /

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#6: Fran Tarkenton

People often find it hard to believe that Fran Tarkenton was actually the all-time leading passer in NFL history when he retired. He had over 47,000 career yards and 342 touchdowns. Keep in mind this was before the infamous 1978 rule changes that opened up the passing game. It’s fair to wonder how much more effective the scrambling artist could’ve been had he held such advantages during his career like all do today.

Sadly he could never summon his best when everything was on the line. Tarkenton got the Minnesota Vikings to three Super Bowls in four years from 1973 to 1976. In those three games, he threw just one touchdown to six interceptions. In fact, despite his individual brilliance so many times on the field he threw 11 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in his playoff career. Some greats simply don’t have it when the lights are brightest.

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