The NFC North is about to become the NFL's toughest division

Well, official. Nobody from the NFC North will be representing the division in the Super Bowl ... again.

The Detroit Lions had a tremendous chance but blew a 17-point halftime lead to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Sound familiar, Packers?

Yes, the Lions' were the North's best shot this season and had they not fallen apart in San Francisco, they would have been the first NFC North team to make the Super Bowl since Green Bay won it in 2011 (but shout out to former NFC Central member Tampa Bay for winning Super Bowl LV in 2021).

It was a bitterly disappointing finish for the Lions and for the NFC North by proxy, but fear not fans of midwestern, blue-collared NFC football — the North very well may rise again in 2024-25.

Frankly, the division is set to be stacked.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows a repeat of this season will be tough, but Detroit should still be a playoff team next year as it returns all the pieces of its young core. With some additional talent via the NFL Draft and free agency, it makes sense that Detroit can improve its leaky defense. 

The big question is whether or not the presumed loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to a head coaching role elsewhere will derail Detroit's offense. Otherwise, the Lions could very well be a Super Bowl contender again next season.

Speaking of, Jordan Love went a long way toward establishing himself as Green Bay's third-straight franchise quarterback after throwing for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns (11 interceptions) in his first year as a starter post-Aaron Rodgers. 

Love led an extremely young team to the playoffs and he has tremendous cast of talent around him with multiple budding stars at wideout and tight end. If the Packers hit on their next defensive coordinator, there's a realistic chance they can take back the NFC North and make another run through the playoffs.

Of course, there's also the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears to consider as well. Minnesota won't be going anywhere if Kirk Cousins comes back as a free agent and the Bears once again have the No. 1 overall pick at their disposal. Whether they stick with Justin Fields or go with a new starting quarterback like Caleb Williams, Chicago has the assets to become very competitive very quickly.

The long and short of it is that the NFC North has two potential Super Bowl contenders in the Lions and Packers, and nobody would blink an eye if the Vikings and Bears joined them in the playoff race next season.

At times, the division has been amongst the worst in football, but that will no longer be the case as long as each of the four teams progress as expected next season.