The Chicago Bears were the only team in the NFC North to participate in the playoffs last year and there hasn't been a team from the division to play in the Super Bowl since the Green Bay Packers won it in 2010. But is the NFC North the best division in the NFL?

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com ranked each division in the league and he ranked the NFC North No. 1. The NFC North was able to beat out the AFC North (No. 2) and the NFC South (No. 3).

Here's a look at why Rosenthal picked the NFC North as the NFL's best division.

"The North has a nice combination of quality quarterbacks and defense-leaning rosters. Mitchell Trubisky is the division's most unproven signal-caller, but he has incredible support in head coach Matt Nagy and the league's most talented defense. The Vikings' defense has an almost unprecedented amount of continuity under coach Mike Zimmer, while the Packers' defense could be more talented than Aaron Rodgers' side of the ball for the first time in a long time."

"The Lions being fourth in line says a lot about the quality of this division. It's not hard to imagine Detroit winning eight or more games, although playing six games against the teams in this division will make it tougher. The expectations for all four of these teams will be high enough to make disappointment for at least one of them inevitable."

The Bears look like a team who could make a run at the Super Bowl as long as they have a consistent running game and Trubisky can take the next step in his progression. Last year, Trubisky threw for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He will have a chance to better those numbers as he's entering the second year of Nagy's offense. And with the additions of running backs Mike Davis and David Montgomery, the Bears are considered the favorites to win the division.

The Vikings just missed the playoffs last year after winning the NFC North in 2017. Like the Bears, the Vikings have a stellar defense and the key to the team's success will be quarterback Kirk Cousins who threw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns last year. If the Vikings get the run game going, Cousins will be more efficient and the Vikings will be a very dangerous team.

The Packers might be the most interesting team as they hired a new head coach in Matt LaFleur and signed four players in free agency including edge rushers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith as well as safety Adrian Amos who spent the last four seasons with the Bears. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have an MVP-type season, but the biggest question is can the Packers defense improve after finishing 18th in the league last year?

As for the Lions, they are expected to finish last, but they could win eight games this fall. Quarterback Matthew Stafford will likely throw for 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns, but they will need more from their running game as they averaged only 103.8 rushing yards per contest in 2018.