After the regular-season finale in Detroit, Lions coach Dan Campbell said to Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, "See you in two weeks."
Less than two weeks later, both teams had said "see ya" to the postseason.
The playoff collapse of three NFC North juggernauts — the Lions, Vikings, and Packers — stands in stark contrast to their regular-season dominance beyond the borders of the black-and-blue division.
As a reader pointed out, and as we've confirmed by checking the schedules and counting up the games, the Lions, Vikings, and Packers were a combined 29-4 against teams outside the division in the regular season.