NFC North: Only one Chicago Bears division rival remains

The Chicago Bears finished in last place in the NFC North with a 5-12 record while the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers all made the playoffs. Detroit won the division and even earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Chicago went 1-5 in the division with their only win coming against the Packers in Week 18 while Green Bay was missing some of their top players. It was a bad year for the Bears within the division, but the NFC North was one of the best in the league.

Now, we're at the divisional round of the playoffs, and the NFC North has had a horrific performance so far. On Wild Card Weekend, the Packers were eliminated by the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Vikings were eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams. That leaves the Lions, who will make their postseason debut on Saturday night against the Washington Commanders. They are the division's last hope for making a deep run in the playoffs.

Was this all for nothing? No. The Packers are a young team looking to take steps each year. With the youngest roster in the division, this was a good year for them. As for the Vikings, people expected them to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they proved to be one of the best. If they can straighten out the quarterback situation, they will be good for a while. Then there's the Lions, who appear poised to remain NFC favorites for the foreseeable future.

Detroit has built their football team the right way. They have solid offensive and defensive lines, each unit of the team is sound, and Jared Goff has turned into an MVP-caliber quarterback. There's a reason that both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are interviewing for head coaching positions around the league.

Can the Lions beat the Commanders and host the NFC Championship Game next week with a chance to go to the Super Bowl? The talent is there but they need to go out there and execute. As mentioned before, they are the only hope in what was supposed to be one of the greatest divisions in recent history.

The Bears are a long way away from competing in the playoffs and playing in this competitive division is a big reason why. With that said, it isn't a good look that they are already down to one team, and that team hasn't even played a playoff game yet.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFC North: Only one Chicago Bears division rival remains