Let’s look at some Chiefs veterans who are hoping to make it to their first Super Bowl with a win over the Bengals on Sunday.
For most of the experienced players on the Kansas City Chiefs roster, the idea of playing in a Super Bowl is a tangible one, a memory they can reach into from their own previous history in the game. In short, it’s hard to find a veteran player who has yet to play in the NFL’s biggest game.
The Chiefs have played in two of the last three Super Bowls so that means that any player who has been around for a bit has gained that championship experience—whether winning or losing—and that should be a strong asset for the Chiefs heading into this weekend’s conference championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There are, however, some NFL veterans who have tried year after year to make it to the bright lights of the Super Bowl only to never make it. For some, this ride has been about trying to make those dreams come true for the first time. And fans might be very surprised by some of the names on this list.
Here’s a look at the players who will be fighting for their chance to play in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday—perhaps their last best chance at championship glory.
Melvin Gordon, RB
Consider this a bonus entry.
Unless there’s an Exodus-style series of plagues that befall the Chiefs backfield, we’re pretty sure that Melvin Gordon won’t be playing in the Super Bowl this year either. That said, he’s never been on a team that’s participated in the NFL’s ultimate contest and, at the very least, Gordon could get a chance to take in the festivities as part of the Chiefs roster if they can make it past Cincinnati on Sunday.
Gordon entered the NFL with the San Diego Chargers back in 2015, and he’s been around the AFC West long enough to see the Chiefs as the team most responsible for blocking his Super Bowl dreams from happening. After five seasons with the Chargers and another three seasons in Denver, Gordon is now with the Chiefs in an in-case-of-emergency sort of role.
Gordon is stuck on the team’s practice squad at this rate, but those players get championship rings, too, and you never know just when a player might be called upon. (Just ask rookie quarterback Brock Purdy who is starting a conference championship this weekend.) While the reps won’t be there, at least Gordon will be an insider for the first time in his professional career.
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