Super Bowl 2012: Stars That Need to Win a Championship

To be considered one of the greats in the NFL, it always helps to have a Super Bowl title on your résumé. Super Bowl XLVI is quickly approaching, and there are a few stars left in contention that desperately need either to win their first or add another for the sake of their legacies. 

It's the most coveted trophy, but winning it is no easy task. Some elite players in the history of the game have never even been to a Super Bowl, let alone win one. Meanwhile, others are blessed with many opportunities to win it all.

That being said—if a player wants to be considered among the greatest of all time—the more Super Bowls they win, the better their chances are. 

Here are three stars vying for a Super Bowl berth that need to win it all. 

Tom Brady 

The New England Patriots quarterback already has three rings, but winning a fourth would further help his case to be the best NFL QB to ever play the game. 

That is what Brady is striving for as he nears the end of his career. He and Bill Belichick preach perfection and will stop at nothing to win games. 

Brady has to beat the stingy Baltimore Ravens defense to get back to the Super Bowl, and that will not be easy. 

Should he accomplish it, Brady will be extremely determined to get a fourth ring to continue on his quest to be the greatest to ever play his position. 

Eli Manning 

Manning did the unthinkable in 2008 and shocked the world by winning his first Super Bowl over the undefeated Patriots. 

However, to truly be viewed as an elite QB in the NFL, Manning has to win another championship. He claimed to be in Brady's company before the season began, which adds even more reason for him to want to win it all this year. 

Those were bold words. Many people laughed at him and gave him little to no chance at winning the big one this season. 

Yet, here he is, continuing to prove his doubters wrong.

Manning finally has to face a tough defense in the playoffs this Sunday in the San Francisco 49ers. If he beats them, his confidence will be through the roof, which isn't a good thing for his would-be Super Bowl opponent. 

Winning another championship would give Eli the edge over Peyton, helping him make a case to be the best Manning to ever play the game. 

Ray Lewis 

One of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game, Lewis hasn't been to the Super Bowl since the Ravens won it all 11 years ago. 

Since he hasn't tasted such great postseason success in a long time, simply getting to the biggest game of them all would please him. However, he won't settle for just being there. Lewis is a fierce competitor that sets out to win every time. 

At the age of 36, he has had a great career in the NFL, spending 16 seasons in Baltimore. Winning another championship would allow people to see that the first one wasn't a fluke and he is more than just a dominant regular-season player. 

The best of the best win when it matters most, and that is in the playoffs. Lewis has to get to the Super Bowl and win it because he may never be this close again.