The NFC North produced three playoff teams, two teams with 14 or more wins and the conference’s No. 1 seed, creating a historic regular season never before seen within the division.
Then the playoffs started, and everything fell apart in stunning fashion.
Not a single NFC North team has won a playoff game.
The Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions were swept and all three teams lost their first playoff game by at least 12 points.
Incredibly, the Packers’ 12-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles – an ugly, error-filled game with a fumble on the opening kickoff and four total turnovers – ended up being the closest loss of the group.
A day after the Packers’ loss, the Minnesota Vikings fell behind 24-3 at halftime and lost 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams, who sacked Sam Darnold nine times. After finishing 14-3 and not even winning a division title, the fifth-seeded Vikings fell by 18 points in a non-competitive game to the Rams in Arizona.
Just like that, the 11-win Packers and 14-win Vikings were away during Wild Card Weekend.
And on Saturday night, the Lions completed the trio of disappointments in the NFC North in the divisional round.
Dan Campbell’s team committed five turnovers and gave up 481 yards in a 45-31 loss to the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders at Ford Field, providing a stunning end to a season that saw the Lions win 15 matches and secure the coveted No. 1 seed. in the heaviest NFC.
In total, the three NFC North teams turned the ball over 11 times without forcing a single rebound. They lost their playoff games by a total of 44 points. All three trailed by 10 or more points for long stretches of the fourth quarter – in fact, both the Lions and Vikings were down three scores for long stretches in the final 15 minutes.
The Packers, Vikings and Lions have won 40 regular season games. It meant almost nothing. All three teams went 0-3 in the playoffs, and now the NFC North won’t have a team competing for the NFC title next weekend.