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The 10 best players in NFL history to never win a Super Bowl

By Erik Lambert

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 13: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the fourth quater in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the New England Patriat Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 13: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the fourth quater in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the New England Patriat Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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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)
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) /

02. Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions)

Most people would agree that the top four running backs in NFL history included Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, and Barry Sanders in one order or another. What’s really painful about that combination, at least from Sanders’ perspective, is he’s the only one of the four without a ring. Brown won a championship in 1964. Payton got his in 1985. Smith claimed three between 1992 and 1995. Sanders was the only one who never even got a chance.

The greatest Detroit Lions player of all time was left out in the cold thanks in large part to playing on inferior teams. Something many great players from that organization can claim. The man rushed for over 15,600 yards in his career, topping at least 1,100 in each of his seasons, ran for over 2,000 at the age of 29 (the oldest to ever do so), and scored110 touchdowns. All of his highlight-reel brilliance wasn’t enough.

The closest he ever came was in 1991 when the Lions reached the NFC championship. There they ran into a powerhouse Redskins team that had gone 14-2 that year including a 45-0 crushing of Detroit on opening day. Needless to say, Sanders’ team wasn’t up to the challenge that time either.

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