"And with that, the 2024 (NFL regular) season has come to a close…"

The Vikings and Lions looked to put a bow on the league's 18-week, 272-game campaign with a historic Sunday Night Football meeting, as both teams aimed to capture the NFC North division title and the coveted No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. It was the first regular-season game in NFL history in which both squads had 13-plus wins going into the matchup.

Minnesota put together some big plays defensively to keep itself within striking distance, but missed the mark on other opportunities, particularly on offense and special teams, as the Vikings fell 31-9 to the Lions. The win gave Detroit (15-2) consecutive division titles for the first time since the 1950s.

The Vikings (14-3) will enter the postseason as the No. 5 seed and head west to face the Los Angeles Rams (10-7) on Monday in the final game of Wild Card Weekend.

While there are many facts and figures to reflect on from the loss, one number in particular was more prevalent than others, both in favor of the Vikings and against: nine.

Oddly enough, Sunday's game was just the ninth time in team history the Vikings have closed the regular season against the Lions (third time since the 2020 season). Seven of those nine matchups were on the road, with Minnesota going 3-4 in Detroit in finales.

In addition to the Vikings nine-game winning streak getting snapped, the contest also marked the ninth time Minnesota has scored nine points in a game in franchise history since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger (the Vikings have 11 such games in total). In those 11 total instances, the Vikings have nine losses and have faced – you guessed it – nine different opponents. They were:

– 1968(L 21-9 at Baltimore Colts)

– 1969(W 9-7 at Green Bay)

– 1971(L 13-9 vs. San Francisco)

– 1977(W 9-3 at Tampa Bay)

– 1981 (L 10-9 at Chicago)

– 1985(L 27-9 at Chicago)

– 1989(L 10-9 at Philadelphia)

– 2010(L 14-9 at New Orleans)

– 2014(L 20-9 at New Orleans)

– 2017(L 26-9 at Pittsburgh)

– 2024(L 31-9 at Detroit)

On a more positive note, the 2024 season is the ninth time in franchise history the Vikings have completed a regular season with three or fewer losses. The other eight occurred in 1969 (12-2), 1970 (12-2), 1971 (11-3), 1973 (12-2), 1975 (12-2), 1976 (11-2-1), 1998 (15-1) and 2017 (13-3).

Lastly, Sunday's game was the ninth time this season Minnesota recorded two or more interceptions in a game. The Vikings have had at least one takeaway in every single game this season, marking the most consecutive games with a takeaway in a single season in franchise history.

The loss to the Lions caused Minnesota to fall slightly back in the final week of the Power Rankings for the regular season. Here's where the Vikings rank after 18 weeks:

No. 6 (down 2 spots): Eric Edholm, NFL.com

Following the disappointment in Detroit on Sunday night, the Vikings are resigned to be known as the winningest team not to capture its division, tied for the most wins by a playoff team that did not land a No. 1 seed (since seeding began in 1975). This weekend, they'll have to face the Rams in Los Angeles, where Matthew Stafford and Company beat Minnesota earlier this season. The missed opportunities against the Lions – the red-zone failures, the quick field-goal drive allowed on a Detroit possession that began 20 seconds before halftime, Andrew Van Ginkel's inability to haul in a would-be pick six – were just so uncharacteristic of what we'd seen from this team coming in. Meanwhile, the Vikings offensive line was under fire all night. Sam Darnold was only sacked twice, but they were both huge: a 17-yard loss to the 3-yard line in the first quarter and a fourth-quarter sack that took away the go-for-it possibility on fourth down, when Minnesota was down two scores. Darnold didn't play up to his 2024 standard, completing just two of 11 passes for seven yards in four red-zone trips. If the Vikings don't clean that up, any disappointment bubbling around this season will only run deeper.

No. 6 (down 2 spots): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report

Week 18 was a litmus test for quarterback Sam Darnold and the Vikings. A chance for the quarterback to show that his career season has been no fluke. A chance for the team to stake its claim as the NFC's best team. Maybe even the NFL's best team.

Player and team failed that test – spectacularly.

Darnold completed just 18 of 41 passes and posted a miserable passer rating of 55.5. The Vikings were abysmal in the red zone, going 0-for-4 and failing on a pair of fourth-down attempts near the goal line. The Vikings looked a lot less like a Super Bowl contender than a team whose time in the postseason could be brief.

Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O' Connell told reporters he remains confident the team will shake off the dud next week in Los Angeles against the Rams.

"We didn't do a lot of the things we did well this season," O'Connell said. "Sam has hit a lot of those plays all year, and I have every bit of confidence that he will hit it the next time."

Bleacher Report NFL analyst Gary Davenport said his "confidence in Minnesota's ability to make a deep playoff run all but evaporated Sunday night."

"The Lions forced Darnold out of the pocket, and he looked a lot like the quarterback who struggled throughout most of his career," Davenport added. "Jahmyr Gibbs shredded Minnesota's defense. And wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison were MIA most of the game. … If the Vikings we saw in Week 18 show up at SoFi Stadium, Minnesota isn't getting out of the Wild Card Round."

No. 6 (down 2 spots): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

Sam Darnold wasn't good in the loss to the Lions, which is concerning heading into this week's playoff game. The offense has to be better against the Rams.

No. 5 (down 3 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic

Sunday night wasn't the best argument for this lesson, but Sam Darnold is sixth in passer rating (102.5) and fifth in touchdown passes (35) this season. This is after being picked third overall in 2018 and then given up on by three teams and basically every NFL fan. Now we'll see if he can bounce back from an 18-for-41 effort against the Lions that registered a 55.5 passer rating.

No. 4 (no change): Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated

I didn't see a blowout like many others did Sunday. I saw a Lions team that got the proper bounces and, just maybe, a less critical eye from the officiating crew when it came to a feisty secondary. There's nothing wrong with a little hand-to-hand combat, but the Lions knew they were at the mercy of the referees. I agree with [Lions Head Coach] Dan Campbell that we'll see these teams again in a few weeks.

No. 6 (down 1 spot): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports

One game doesn't change the fact that Sam Darnold had a great season. But Darnold was not good on Sunday. If he has a rough game against the Rams in a loss next Monday night, it will bring up a lot of questions – fair or not – about whether he's a viable franchise QB as he heads to free agency.