This concept of us being "close" to the NFCCG this means we are on the right track is hilarious.
We were "close" in 2014 losing to the Pack by 5 in the divisional game. We were "close" in 2016 when we lost to the Packers by 3 in the divisional round. We were "close" in 2018 when we lost by 8 to the Rams in the divisional round. We were "close" in 2021 when we lost to the 49ers by 6 in the divisional round. We were "close" in 2022 when we lost to the 49ers by 7 in the divisional round.
Convincing yourself that because we were "close" a few weeks ago portends to an upward trend ignores history, especially recent history. None of those "close" teams had any upward trend the following seasons.