DETROIT — As frustrated as the Vikings were on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, perhaps there was also some relief that this season had mercifully ended.

Needing a win to keep their hopes of making the playoffs alive, the Vikings limped across the finish line with a 30-20 loss to the Detroit Lions. After being ravaged by injuries over the past few months, the Vikings looked  like a group with nothing left to give as the game clock hit 0:00 for the last time in this NFL season.

There were snapshot moments throughout the game that perfectly encapsulated how things went off the rails.

You had veteran quarterback Nick Mullens throwing to reserve tight end Nick Muse as franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins and star tight end T.J. Hockenson sat on injured reserve. You had star pass rusher Danielle Hunter trying to to generate pressure with no help around him. You had a skeleton crew of young cornerbacks failing to keep up with a dynamic group of Lions playmakers.

Not even star receiver Justin Jefferson could make up for the Vikings’ lack of firepower across the board. He tried his best, putting the team on his back and finishing with 12 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown. It simply wasn’t enough to make up for the talent gap between the teams.

After a couple of punts in the early stages, the Lions went up 7-0 when quarterback Jared Goff found rookie tight end Sam LaPorta alone in the end zone for a touchdown pass. On their next possession, the Lions continued to impose their will, stretching the lead to 13-0 with rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs finding pay dirt.

Though a pair of field goals from kicker Greg Jospeh helped the Vikings cut the deficit to 13-6 at halftime, the Lions quickly regained control when running back David Montgomery scored to make it 20-6.

Neither team seemed interested in playing defense as the game progressed. After the Vikings got a 38-yard touchdown catch from Jefferson to cut the deficit to 20-13, the Lions responded with a 70-yard touchdown catch from star receiver Amon Ra St. Brown a couple of plays later to make it 27-13.

The fireworks continued the next time the Vikings got the ball as rookie receiver Jordan Addison hauled in a 42-yard touchdown catch to make it 27-20. Any thoughts of a comeback ended as the Lions put together a methodical drive that ended with a field goal from kicker Michael Badgley to finalize the score at 30-20.

As the game wound to a close, Mullens threw a pair of interceptions while pushing the ball downfield, a fitting way for this season to come to a close.

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