Chargers: Most Super Bowl winners didn’t need a franchise running back

The Chargers are looking to win a championship without their franchise running back. Here’s why they may not need one to win a Super Bowl.
Melvin Gordon’s time with the Chargers seems all but over, as neither camp is prepared to move in favor of the other during contract negotiations. Now, even those negotiations have been postponed, as Tom Telesco has now openly stated those discussions will be put off until the end of the season. If the running back wants to play, he’s got to either find a willing trade partner or show up on his current deal.
The problem for Gordon: No one (so far) wants to sink that much draft or player compensation in a trade for a running back, and then have to sign that running back to an extension as well. It’s often said a team does not need a franchise running back to win a Super Bowl.
So let’s prove (or disprove) it.
Here are the last ten winners of the Super Bowl, for reference, as the article continues down its journey:
- 2010: New Orleans Saints
- 2011: Green Bay Packers
- 2012: New York Giants
- 2013: Baltimore Ravens
- 2014: Seattle Seahawks
- 2015: New England Patriots
- 2016: Denver Broncos
- 2017: New England Patriots
- 2018: Philadelphia Eagles
- 2019: New England Patriots
This article will examine three components of the Super Bowl winner’s leading rusher: Rushing stats, the salary of that player during that year, as well as the capital spent acquiring that player (though sometimes originally with a different team) through the draft.