"Billy Cundiff's missed field goal to end the AFC Championship Game at New England on Sunday might have saved Ray Rice from a dismal season in 2012. The same goes for Kyle Williams and his problems on special teams against the Giants in the NFC Championship Game when it comes to Frank Gore.

If Rice and Gore had reached the Super Bowl then we could have been looking at two potential bust options next season.

As we pointed out last year with Rashard Mendenhall and will address again prior to Super Bowl XLVI, featured running backs who play in the final game of the season tend to struggle the following year or get hurt. It happened to Mendenhall this season.

Lucky for Fantasy owners, Ahmad Bradshaw is not a featured running back since he shares carries with Brandon Jacobs. The same goes for the New England backfield, which is led by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, but he is far from a workhorse rusher.

Rice will now be considered a Top 3 overall selection on Draft Day, and Gore is worth drafting toward the end of Round 2 or beginning of Round 3 as a top-end No. 2 Fantasy running back. Both of them -- for Fantasy reasons -- were saved by not playing in the Super Bowl. Consider them winners even for losing. "