The last time an NFC North team played on Super Sunday, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers were holding off the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25, at Arlington in Super Bowl XLV. Meanwhile, the other three divisions in the conference have each made at least three appearances in the “Big Game.” Over the past 13 seasons, the NFC West clearly leads the way (7), while both the NFC East and NFC South have sent three teams to the Super Bowl since 2011.
Of course, the Detroit Lions remain the only franchise in the National Football Conference not to play on Super Sunday. However, the team is making progress. Dan Campbell’s club won 12 games and the NFC North in 2023, the club’s first division title since 1993. The Men from Motown won a postseason game for the first time since 1991.
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Vikings have gone nearly five decades (1976) since playing in a Super Bowl. The Chicago Bears’ last “Big Game” appearance came in 2006.
So much for history. As for the present, there are reasons to be very excited. Along with the Lions, the Green Bay Packers come off a postseason appearance and a playoff win. The Bears and Vikings will each have new starting quarterbacks.
Each of these franchises has made at least one big-name acquisition, while these four clubs all lost some major talent. A look at top pickups and biggest losses for each of these clubs.