Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft got snubbed -- so which senior finalists will make the Hall of Fame?

With Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft reportedly excluded from this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class, at least one of the three senior finalists will hear his name called when the class is announced during NFL Honors on Thursday night.

As this year's coach and contributor finalists, Belichick and Kraft competed for votes with senior finalists Ken Anderson, L.C. Greenwood and Roger Craig. Voters could submit ballots for only three finalists, with automatic induction for anyone who received at least 80% of the vote. If no one reached that threshold, the finalist with the most votes would earn induction.

That means this year's class will include either Anderson, Greenwood, Craig or some combination of the three. Each senior finalist has a compelling case for induction.

Ken Anderson, QB, Bengals (1971-86)

Anderson, who will turn 76 later this month, was a former NFL MVP who played his entire 16-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals. A four-time Pro Bowler, Anderson earned praise for his quick, accurate passing, leading the NFL in passing yards and completion percentage multiple times. He thrived alongside Bill Walsh, who served as his quarterbacks coach for five seasons.

Ironically, Anderson faced Walsh's 49ers in his lone Super Bowl appearance. While he accounted for three touchdowns and threw for nearly twice as many yards as Joe Montana, Anderson and the Bengals came up short in a 26-21 loss in Super Bowl XVI.

Anderson's magnum opus may have come two weeks earlier against the Chargers in the AFC Championship Game. In the contest that became known as the "Freezer Bowl," his ability to throw tight spirals despite the minus-59 wind chill proved to be the difference in Cincinnati's 27-7 win.

Anderson's Hall of Fame case has likely suffered from the era he played in, one that featured several notable quarterbacks such as Montana, Dan Fouts (the losing "Freezer Bowl" quarterback), Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Ken Stabler, Bob Griese and Fran Tarkenton. Not winning a Super Bowl hasn't helped, either.

For Anderson, though, being a finalist is an honor in itself.

"It would be tremendous," Anderson said in a 2022 interview. "When you grow up in Batavia, Illinois, and you go to Augustana College, it was a stretch to dream about playing in the NFL, let alone someday thinking about being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It would be quite an honor. You don't want to look ahead too far, but I'm very humbled to even be in consideration."

L.C. Greenwood, DE, Steelers (1969-81)

Greenwood, who passed away in 2013 at age 67, was a major cog in arguably the greatest defense in NFL history. A six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and member of the 1970s All-Decade Team, Greenwood anchored the Pittsburgh Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense that helped the franchise win four Super Bowls in a six-year span.

Greenwood, who played his entire career alongside Hall of Famer Joe Greene, played an especially big role in Pittsburgh's first two Super Bowl wins. He batted down three of Fran Tarkenton's passes in Super Bowl IX (one of which Greene intercepted) and is unofficially credited with four sacks of Roger Staubach in Super Bowl X.

Steelers fatigue (10 of his teammates are in the Hall of Fame) and the fact that sacks were not an official individual statistic during his era are likely two of the main reasons Greenwood still hasn't been inducted.

"He gets less credit than he deserves playing next to Joe," Jack Ham, a former teammate and Hall of Fame linebacker, recently said. "No question Joe deserves all the accolades he has received. But L.C. deserves them too."

"In my view, when L.C. was playing, he was easily in the top three or four defensive ends during that time," added Greene. "L.C. was a partner of mine on the line for 13 years, and he was a wonderful teammate. ... With L.C. beside me, and us working together, we accomplished some pretty good things together."

Roger Craig, RB, 49ers/Raiders/Vikings (1983-93)

With the announcement coming in the Bay Area, it would be fitting if the 65-year-old Craig received his Hall of Fame induction Thursday night. After all, Craig played a key role in the 49ers' dynasty during the 1980s.

One of the most versatile running backs in NFL history, Craig became the first player to top 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in the same season. He scored a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns in the 49ers' 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.

In 1988, Craig won Offensive Player of the Year honors after rushing for a career-high 1,504 yards and amassing more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. He became the focal point of the 49ers' offense as injuries limited Montana's availability during the regular season.

In that year's Super Bowl, Craig totaled 172 all-purpose yards and became the first running back in Super Bowl history to record 100 receiving yards, catching eight passes for 101 yards. He also made three big catches on the 49ers' 92-yard, game-winning drive as San Francisco recorded its second Super Bowl win over the Bengals.

A member of the 1980s All-Decade Team, Craig helped the 49ers win back-to-back Super Bowls the following season before injuries started to slow him down. His decline in production after his age-29 season has likely kept him out of Canton up to this point.

While his last four seasons were quiet, what Craig accomplished during his first seven could finally earn him a spot in pro football immortality.

"Roger's been waiting for so, so long," 49ers owner and CEO Jed York said earlier this week. "I can't think of anybody who changed the game more than Roger."