Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTIncluded Columnist IVDecember 31, 2024Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesThe Detroit Lions' match versus the San Francisco 49ers was basically useless for the Lions, with the front runner in the NFC playoffs and the NFC North title boiling down to Week 18's face-off with the Minnesota Vikings.That does not imply that the video game didn't highlight one especially worrying pattern in Detroit.The defense yet once again had a hard time to decrease an opposing offense, though the electrifying Lions' offense eventually blazed a trail in a 40-34 shootout win.And the outcome may have been better had San Francisco's Jake Moody not missed out on 2 basket and an additional point, or if Brock Purdy didn't toss a set of mysterious interceptions in the 2nd half.ESPN @espnKERBY JOSEPH PICKS OF...