The Lions only stopped the 49ers when Jake Moody missed a field goal or Kerby Joseph intercepted Brock Purdy. That was enough for Detroit to escape with a 40-34 victory over the 49ers.

The game was meaningless for both teams as the 49ers were already eliminated from the playoffs and the Lions awaited a showdown against the Vikings on Sunday Night Football to decide the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Still, it was one of the more entertaining games of Week 17, as the Lions moved to 14-2 and the 49ers fell to 6-10.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said his team would play to win despite the circumstances, and they did.

The 49ers had 260 yards and scored touchdowns on three drives in the first half before Moody missed a 51-yard field goal down the right edge. They led 21-13 at halftime.

However, Kerby had two interceptions of Purdy in the second half and Moody missed a 58-yard field goal wide left and an extra point. The 49ers finished the game with 475 yards rushing.

Purdy injured his right elbow on a sack by Brian Branch with 1:36 left. He tried to make a throw down the sideline, but it seemed like he couldn’t do it well enough to return. Joshua Dobbs replaced him to end the game, scoring on a 7-yard scramble with 43 seconds left.

Purdy, who had a maximum passer rating of 158.3 in the first half, went 27 of 35 for 377 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that Purdy will undergo an MRI on his elbow, but they think: “It’s a bit nerve wracking.”

Ricky Pearsall caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown and George Kittle caught eight for 112.

The Lions had 439 yards and scored on seven of eight possessions, not counting a kneel before halftime and two kneeldowns late in the game after Moody’s onside kick sailed out of bounds. They didn’t punt, and their only non-scoring possession ended with an incompletion in the end zone on fourth-and-goal.

The Lions took a 2-3 lead on fourth down.

Jared Goff was 26 of 34 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Jameson Williams ran for a touchdown and caught five passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown also had touchdown receptions.

Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 117 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and caught four passes for 46 yards.

Jake Bates made field goals of 57 and 42, but an extra point was deflected and another extra point missed.