The season is coming to an end with a loud thud for the Minnesota Vikings. They enter their Week 18 game against the NFC North champion Detroit Lions with a slim chance to make the playoffs, but losses the last two week have ground their season into dust.

The Vikings were one of the surprise stories in the league after they raised their record to 6-4 following a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 10. It appeared head coach Kevin O'Connell and quarterback Josh Dobbs had rallied the team to an unexpected level after QB1 Kirk Cousins had gone down with an Achilles injury.

Dobbs had made big plays with his feet and his arm in leading the Vikings to wins over the Falcons and Saints, and it seemed like a playoff berth was within their grasp.

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However, teams that attempt to win in the NFL without their starting quarterback often find difficulty, and the Vikings have lost 5 of 6 games since hitting their high-water mark.

Vikings quarterback play has suffered without Cousins

Quarterback play has been a huge issue as Dobbs stopped making big plays, Nick Mullens made crucial turnovers and Jaren Hall was not ready for prime time.

Making matters worse was that the Vikings defense slipped badly in recent weeks, often showing a weakness in the 4th quarter. They had opportunities to win games against the Broncos, Bears, Bengals and Lions before getting blown out in Week 17 by the Packers.

That performance most likely indicates the Vikings will not have their hearts in this season finale against Detroit.  The Vikings know they had their chance to make a run at a playoff spot but they did not take advantage.

A victory over the Lions is not likely to help, so this game seems like one that will belong to Detroit.

Danielle Hunter must get at least 1 sack against the Lions

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores installed a scheme that helped the Vikings raise their level of play on defense dramatically through the first three quarters of the season.

The Minnesota defense had been pushed around badly for 3 seasons, and it turned out to be the team's soft spot a year ago despite a 13-4 record. The Vikings could not stop good teams from moving the ball up and down the field, so Flores was hired to install an aggressive blitzing scheme.

The players bought in and it worked, as the defense rose from No. 31 in the league to as high as No. 11 at one point. The best of their defensive players has been pass rusher Danielle Hunter, who has registered 15.5 sacks going into the last game of the season.

That's a career high for the explosive Hunter, but if the number sounds familiar, it is because he has been stuck at that level  since Week 15. He recorded 2.0 sacks against the Bengals, but did not come close to getting another against Detroit or Green Bay.

That needs to change in the rematch with the Lions if the Vikings are going to have any chance of pulling off the upset.

Justin Jefferson will have 100-plus receiving yards and at least 1 touchdown

When the Vikings dropped a 30-24 decision to the Lions in Week 16, the lasting image of the game was star wide receiver running through the secondary as he approached the goal line. Jefferson was prepared to catch the game-winning TD pass, but Mullens could not accommodate  him.

Instead of firing a hard pass out in front of Jefferson that he could have easily run into and caught, Mullens floated a wounded duck that was behind the receiver. It turned out to be a game-clinching interception for the Lions.

That play deflated Jefferson and his teammates, and they had little in reserve for the Packers in Week 17. While not much is expected from the Vikings in the season finale, Jefferson is likely to make a statement in any way he can.

His season was short-circuited by a hamstring injury earlier in the year, and he knows that damaged his claim of being the best receiver in the NFL. He will have to take that up again next season, but he can at least finish the schedule with a dynamic performance in Week 18. If he can do that on the road against the Lions, it will be a clear statement that he has quite a bit left in the tank.