Title contenders helped by low-cost contributors

The construction of a Super Bowl team starts with a championship-caliber quarterback. Don’t discount the importance of those in-between ingredients, though, particularly the impact players on market-bargain contracts, toward winning a title.

The quartet of quarterbacks left in the NFL playoffs this weekend could hardly have produced any stronger pedigree, with Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan in the NFC spotlight and Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady on the AFC stage. By Sunday, they’ll have played in a combined 21 conference championship games. They’ve accounted for seven of the last 15 starting quarterbacks to hoist the Super Bowl trophy.

Green Bay, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and New England don’t get discounts on such prowess, though. Rodgers, Ryan, Roethlisberger and Brady are, naturally and deservedly, the most expensive player on each of their teams. On average, they use 13 percent of their team’s salary cap, which makes the low-cost contributors in the supporting cast all the more meaningful and necessary.

Here’s a closer look at those paid-with-a-coupon players, each occupying less than 1 percent of his team’s salary cap:

GREEN BAY

a sixth-round pick last year from Oklahoma.

The performance of cornerback LaDarius Gunter might be the most critical of all the complementary pieces the Packers will rely on against Ryan, Julio Jones and a fearsome Falcons offense. Gunter, who went undrafted out of Miami in 2015, has been thrust into the starting lineup in light of a slew of injuries at his position.

ATLANTA

Another fullback, Patrick DiMarco, is one of a whopping 19 undrafted players currently on the active roster for the Falcons. His companions in the backfield are playing on championship-friendly cheap deals, too: Devonta Freeman (fourth round in 2014 from Florida State) and Tevin Coleman (third round in 2015 out of Indiana).

The significantly improved defense has had an influx of youth over the last two years under coach Dan Quinn, and rookie linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (fourth round from Minnesota) has been one of the catalysts.

PITTSBURGH

found theirs in former U.S. Army Ranger Alejandro Villaneuva, who was versatile enough in his college career to play wide receiver, too. After four years of military service, he landed on the practice squad in 2014 and has been a starter for one of the best offenses in the league since.

Roosevelt Nix (surprise, another fullback) went undrafted from Kent State in 2014. Then there’s kicker Chris Boswell, who made all six of his field goal attempts last week in the 18-16 victory at Kansas City in the divisional round. He’s on a $525,000 salary.

NEW ENGLAND

Brady takes the snaps from center David Andrews, who’s in his second year as the anchor of the offensive line after going undrafted out of Georgia. Defensive end Trey Flowers, undrafted from Arkansas, had seven sacks in his first season as a starter.

Cornerback Malcolm Butler might be the best example of all, with his NCAA Division II college career at West Alabama and undrafted status that kept him under the radar until the Super Bowl two years ago when he intercepted the pass by Seattle at the goal line with 26 seconds left to preserve a 28-24 victory by the Patriots.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the fourth-highest postseason passer rating in NFL history at 100.1. Bart Starr (104.8) is first, followed by Kurt Warner (102.8) and Drew Brees (100.7).

In 15 career playoff starts, Rodgers has thrown 33 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. The Packers are 9-6 (.600) in those games.

HE SAID IT

“Come game time, I’ll treat it like any other game. I’ll put my pants on the same way, I’m going to do my same routine, I’m going to go out there and play my game. It’s just another football game. When you think about it being the NFC championship game, loser goes home, winner goes to the Super Bowl. You can build it up and almost psyche yourself out. We’ve been here before in ’14, and the only advice I can give to someone younger is, ‘It’s just another game, man. Just make sure you capitalize on your opportunities.’” — Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari

AP Lane Taylor (65) stepped in at left guard to protect Aaron Rodgers when former Pro Bowler Josh Sitton was released by the Packers in a costcutting move. Taylor is in his fourth season after going undrafted out of Oklahoma State.