The Minnesota Vikings had a sensational opportunity to strengthen their position in the NFC playoff structure and put a scare in the Detroit Lions in their Week 16 game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Lions may have been a bit nervous at the end of the game, but they were able to hold off the Vikings in this crucial NFC North game. The Lions won the game by a 30-24 margin in a game that came down to Minnesota's last possession.

QB Nick Mullens has 4-interception game for Vikings

The Vikings had a chance to win late in the 4th quarter after Justin Jefferson made a 28-yard spectacular reception on a 3rd-and-27 play and Brandon Powell followed with a 26-yard reception.

However, Nick Mullens launched a deep pass to Jefferson on a first-down play from the Detroit 30, and that pass was intercepted by Ifeatu Melifonwu and clinched the game for the visitors.

That interception was the 4th of the game thrown by Mullens, and he certainly deserves his share of the blame for the defeat. However, he also threw for 411 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he also deserves credit for his competitive effort against an excellent opponent.

On that crucial interception, Mullens did not display the patience that would have been needed to complete the comeback victory. After the Powell reception, the Vikings still had nearly a minute to negotiate the final 30 yards. Mullens did not have to fire the ball towards the end zone on that first down play. He could have thrown a shorter pass to the sidelines that would have gotten the Vikings closer to the end zone.

However, the Vikings suffered injuries in the game to tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie Jordan Addison, so it's not like Mullens had the full complement of options. But he could have looked at Powell or K.J. Osborn or simply thrown the ball out of bounds.

The other issue is that he did not throw a good pass to Jefferson. It was more of the wounded duck variety, and it was easy for Melifonwu  to intercept.

Edge rusher Danielle Hunter comes up empty in the biggest game of the year

Danielle Hunter has been the Vikings' best defensive player throughout the season. Going into this crucial Week 16 game, Hunter had a league-leading 15.5 sacks and he appeared to be an unstoppable force.

The Vikings needed Hunter to be on top of his game against the NFC North rivals. He has remarkable speed and power, and Hunter has always done a good job of tracking down the most athletic quarterbacks he has competed against. Jared Goff does not fit that description, because he could not have gotten away from Hunter if he was forced to chase him down.

However, Hunter was not a pass rush factor in this games. The statistics show he contributed 7 tackles, but none of those tackles came while Goff was attempting to pass and he only had 1 quarterback hit in the game.

The Vikings had just 1 sack in the game, and that came from Pat Jones in the second quarter. That sack was mitigated on a roughing the passer penalty called on Jones two plays later, and the Lions followed with a field goal.

The Lions offensive line largely did a sensational job of protecting Goff, but much more was expected from the Minnesota pass rush. Since Hunter is that unit's leader, he deserves much of the blame.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores saw his unit come up flat 

The Vikings had played remarkable defense beginning in Week 7 and continuing through the 3rd quarter of their Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Vikings gave up 3 fourth-quarter touchdowns to Cincinnati and backup quarterback Jake Browning in that game, and that keyed the Bengals' 27-24 comeback victory.

Many expected the Vikings defense to rebound at home against the Lions, but that unit seemed to lose most of its steam in this crucial game.

The Lions opened the game with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, and the Vikings were on their heels after that. Instead of putting out a defense that was difficult for Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to figure out, those two spent the afternoon picking apart the defense.

Goff completed 30 of 40 passes against Minnesota's improved defense for 257 yards with 1 touchdown and he did not throw an interception. St. Brown caught 12 of those passes for 106 yards and a TD.

The Vikings needed one of their best defensive efforts of the season against the Lions, but that unit's overall play was not good enough to secure the victory in this crucial game.

The Vikings have not been eliminated from playoff contention, but they are now ranked 8th in the conference, and that is not good enough to qualify for the postseason.