A preseason Super Bowl favorite has been eliminated from playoff contention

A year after winning an NFC-best 15 games, the Detroit Lions’ championship hopes have ended

A year after winning an NFC-best 15 games, the Detroit Lions’ championship hopes have ended.

The Lions were eliminated from making the playoffs on Christmas Day after losing 23-10 to the Minnesota Vikings and falling to 8-8 for the season.

Detroit entered Week 17 second in the NFL in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per game. But the offense went cold in a must-win game, scoring 10 points in the team’s second-lowest-scoring effort of the season.

Quarterback Jared Goff struggled against the Vikings’ aggressive defense. Goff completed 18 of 29 passes for 197 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also fumbled the ball three times, finishing with five turnovers.

In total, Detroit gave away the ball six times. That allowed Minnesota to win, despite its own anemic offensive effort. The Vikings finished with only 3 yards passing, though they did run the ball 28 times for 158 yards.