DETROIT -- It’s simple to choose one play that made the difference for the Lions on Sunday.

Midway through the third quarter Vikings’ defensive end Jared Allen picked off a Shaun Hill pass and ran it 36 yards for a touchdown to bring the Vikings within six.

Here’s the difference between now and early in the season: The Lions did not collapse under the pressure.

Instead they answered back with a 77-yard fourth-quarter drive ending in a Maurice Morris 5-yard touchdown scamper.

In Sunday’s season-ending game, the Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-13 to stretch their win streak to four games. They had not won four in a row since 1999 and they hadn’t ended the season on such a streak since 1995 when they won their final seven games to finish at 10-6 and still miss the playoffs.

“It’s been a process for us getting this thing turned around, the main thing is we did get it turned around,’’ quarterback Shaun Hill said. “We’ve catapulted ourselves into the 2011 season with the way we finished which is nice. I know everybody in that locker room can’t wait to get back at it this spring.

“It took some growing pains early to prepare us for this and make us a better team going forward,’’ said Hill who finished 28 of 39 for 258 yards, one touchdown and that ugly Jared Allen interception which he never saw.

“I still don’t know, did he catch it? Tip it to himself? Clean catch? Step right in there?’’ Hill asked the media.

When he learned it was a clean catch, he said, “I did throw a catchable ball though,’’ and then he laughed.

The laugh and the relief was a long time coming after this team started with a 2-10 record. They finished 6-10.

Wide receiver Nate Burleson, who had his best game of the season with six catches for 83 yards, a touchdown and one 20-yard run on a reverse, said there had not been a change in the locker room.

“We lost all those games in the beginning of the year, we came to work (ticked) off because we were handing games away, I felt like we gave some games away,’’ Burleson said. “We still approach that same way. Regardless of if we won the last four games when we come to work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we’re still mad because we’re not where we want to be , so the attitude hasn’t changed.’’

But here’s the key.

“I think on game day it’s starting to click now. We’re not surprised when we’re winning we’re a good team. I don’t want to stand up here and sound overconfident or cocky. I think we’re realizing how good we are now, in the beginning of the year I don’t think we understood it,’’ he added.

Playing without Calvin Johnson, who was dressed and active but never stepped on the field due to an ankle injury, the offense was able to move the ball.

Coach Jim Schwartz said they knew he couldn’t run well, but they thought he possibly could act as a decoy. But they didn’t need him because everyone else stepped up including Burleson and Bryant Johnson (three catches for 49 yards).

Bryant Johnson had the biggest catch of the day on a third-and-8 at Minnesota’s 28 with the Lions clinging to a 13-10 lead, Hill found Johnson along the sidelines for a 23-yard gain. It was ruled a completion and withstood a challenge.

Schwartz said he thought there should have been defensive pass interference called which would have made the challenge a moot point. “That was a great catch and we needed it but I was disappointed because it looked like there was a lot of contact on that play,’’ Schwartz said.

On the next snap Morris ran in for the touchdown to give the Lions a 20-10 lead. In the second quarter Burleson caught a 7-yard touchdown pass which followed a 55-yard field goal by Dave Rayner who also kicked a 37-yarder in the third quarter. The Lions held a 10-0 lead at the half.

It’s the second time the Lions’ defense held a division opponent without an offensive touchdown. Detroit beat Green Bay 7-3.

“It’s a credit to this locker room because after they got the pick-six you could feel the momentum shifting, I think the first half of the season the old Lions would have given that up,’’ center Dominic Raiola said. “We’ve been up 14-3 on teams and given the lead up. We came up with a big drive in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown there, some receivers made big plays down the sideline and punched it in. This is a mature locker room.’’

It’s new territory for the Lions. Raiola and Jeff Backus have been around since they were drafted in 2001. They hadn’t won four straight since college.

The change in the last four weeks has been a maturation of this group as a team. The growing pains were ugly, but perhaps necessary to get to this point.

“It’s just what we’ve been through. You look at what we’ve been through the first half of the season -- the first nine years of my career --- the people who were inserted in this locker room. ... I think we’re learning how to win, there was so much losing going on around here I think we forgot that feeling,’’ Raiola said. Now it’s back.

To a man, they expect the momentum to carry over into the offseason and next season.

“I see a lot of this team coming back and I think the people upstairs are going to equip us even more to make a playoff run,’’ Raiola said. “That’s the expectation next year, we have the personnel here to do that.’’

The four-game win streak cemented what the team has known since August -- they are headed in the right direction and they are not the same old Lions.

(Paula Pasche covers the Lions. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaPasche. Read her Lions Lowdown blog at TheOaklandPress.com.)

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said all week that his two injured stars, WR Calvin Johnson and QB Matthew Stafford, were game-time decisions to play today against the Rams.

One hour before game time, and we now know that Stafford is at least active for the game, while Johnson (knee) is not. Dennis Northcutt will start opposite Bryant Johnson at wide receiver, as the Lions will be without their biggest receiving threat for the majority of a third straight game. Drew Stanton is the third quarterback for the contest, meaning that — barring a last-minute reversal — Stafford will start for the first time since his knee injury nearly a month ago (Oct. 4).

In other lineup changes, free-agent tackle acquisition Jon Jansen will indeed get a chance to settle the revolving door at left guard, starting in place of the rotation of Daniel Loper and Manny Ramirez, both of whom are inactive for the game. Terrelle Smith will start at fullback in place of Jerome Felton, who is inactive, as well.

On defense, Cliff Avril returns to the starting lineup at left end, replacing Jason Hunter, who is out with a high-ankle sprain. Ko Simpson is back in the starting lineup at strong safety, as well, while corner Anthony Henry did not dress for the game.

The Lions held the first mini-camp of the Jim Schwartz era a week before the draft so they could get a better read on the talent on their roster and the holes they need to fill. Now that camp is over, the verdict is in: Plenty of positions still yearn for an upgrade.

By and large, the Lions' strengths and weaknesses are what we thought they were. They need to find a quarterback they're comfortable building around. They need a middle linebacker in the worst way. They need plenty more help on defense, too, including a high-upside tackle and depth in the secondary.

It's important not to read too much into four pad-less, early-spring practices with no contact allowed and a sliver of the playbook in place. But here's a few players and positions that caught my attention, both positive and negative:

The deep passing game: Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the league. Period. The guy can do things no one else can, and Scott Linehan will take advantage of him. Expect Daunte Culpepper or Matt Stafford or whoever's under center to heave many a deep ball Johnson's way. This could be an exciting offense.

Middle linebacker: Cody Spencer and Chris Graham manned the position in mini-camp (with Jordon Dizon running the huddle in some nickel situations). Spencer is mostly a special-teams contributor and Graham has never taken an NFL snap according to pro-football-reference.com. The Lions can't be taken seriously as a defense with either at middle linebacker. They have to find a starter in the draft whether it's Wake Forest's Aaron Curry or USC's Rey Maualuga, who Schwartz seemed to describe when asked what kind of player he wanted in that position Sunday.

“We're going to need a big thumper, a strong thumper in the middle for base defense,” Schwartz said. “We're talking, I don't want to put heights and weights, but big, strong, physical player that can play between the tackles, that can take on offensive guards even though they're outweighed by almost 100 pounds on some occasions.”

Maualuga is a physical presence in the middle. Most of the questions about him are in the passing game, and while the Lions ideally want a three-down middle backer so they can use Julian Peterson off the edge, they could mix and match in nickel if necessary.

“You can work around a lot of different guys,” Schwartz said. “But I think No. 1 on (the middle linebacker's) job description has got to be a heavy-handed, inside run defender that can take on guards, that can fill fullbacks, that can bring that kind of run-stopping attitude to the defense.”

Ikaika Alama-Francis: Alama-Francis played all over the field in camp as the Lions tried to figure out what they have in the third-year lineman. He and Cliff Avril played end with the first-team defense (so coaches could see how they matched up against the No. 1 offense), Alama-Francis played tackle in nickel, and he's always played on special teams. He's a big, versatile athlete who's probably the fourth end right now (behind Dewayne White, Avril and Jared DeVries), but he could fit better in Schwartz's scheme.

Dewayne White: White and DeVries were kind of background noise most of camp, but if White stays healthy he might finally be a double-digit sack guy playing a nine-technique (lining up outside the tight end) in Schwartz's defense. “I just feel like I can be what I came into the league as a nine, just rushing,” White said.

Michael Gaines: Gaines had problems with drops and fumbles last year, and let more than one ball slip through his hands this weekend. Will Heller should be a fine blocking tight end and Casey FitzSimmons can catch the ball, but the Lions need a do-it-all tight end almost as much as they need help on defense.

The non-CJ receivers: Bryant Johnson dislocated a finger on his right hand Sunday and missed most of practice, but he's solidly the Lions' No. 2 receiver. Beyond that, there's a mixed bag. My own impressions: William Franklin flashed with a catch or two, Ronald Curry has potential in the slot and John Standeford's relatively sure-handed (though he got hurt Friday and doesn't offer much in the way of special teams). I think Chris Hannon and Steve Sanders will have a hard time making the team. Adam Jennings is a bullet in the return game. He'll have to show up there and prove his hands are reliable if he's to win a job.

Daniel Loper: He's big at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, but it's impossible to tell how he'll play until the pads come on. He did work some at left tackle and might be better suited as a swing backup than a starter at left guard. George Foster, incidentally, played guard when Loper was at tackle.

The secondary: Phillip Buchanon didn't win many battles with Calvin Johnson, but no one does. Still, he's got a nose for the ball and is the best corner the Lions have. (Of course, I said the same thing about Leigh Bodden last year.) Buchanon and Henry took the one reps together most of the weekend, with Travis Fisher playing the nickel and Fisher and Eric King running twos. Henry stepped in front of Johnson for a nice interception Sunday, and Buchanon (on a tipped ball) and Chris Roberson had picks, too. Still, I wouldn't call this a strength. There's some versatility when it comes to the draft – Henry can play corner or safety, so the Lions could draft either position – but there's no wow factor.

Bryant Johnson has never caught more than 49 passes in an NFL season, but the former first-round pick is hoping for big things in Detroit.

“With Calvin Johnson on the other side and (Daunte) Culpepper at quarterback, we have a lot of weapons on offense,” Johnson said Thursday. “I think sky's the limit for our offense, and we're definitely eager to get out there and show it.”

Johnson was one of the Lions' first free-agent signings this offseason. He caught 45 passes and three touchdowns last year in San Francisco, and spent the first five years of his career in Arizona. With the Cardinals, he never lived up to his billing as the No. 17 overall pick and third receiver taken behind Charles Rogers and Andre Johnson. Arizona took another receiver in the second round of the same draft, Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin, and went pass catcher at the top of the 2004 draft as well in Larry Fitzgerald.

In San Francisco, Johnson made 12 starts but fled after one tumultuous season.

For three years and $9 million, the Lions will finally give Johnson the opportunity to be a full-time starter. They expect his deep speed to play well opposite Calvin Johnson, who's coming off 1,331-yard, 12-touchdown season and already has established himself as one of the three best receivers in the game.

Playing with Calvin will “do a lot of good things, not just for my game but for the team as well,” Johnson said. “He's going to draw double coverage, which means I may get singled up a lot and I can use my ability on the back side to beat one-on-one coverage and kind of balance out the defense.

“I just want to come in and do what I'm capable of doing regardless of what numbers I can put up. I just know I can play better than I've played in my career and it's a great opportunity here.”

We're six days into free agency and the Lions have made just three low-impact signings (plus one trade of Jon Kitna). Don't expect that to change anytime soon.

Team president Tom Lewand said Wednesday the Lions will continue to be “selective” in their pursuit of free agents this offseason. So far, they've signed running back Maurice Morris, receiver Bryant Johnson and cornerback Eric King, and traded for cornerback Anthony Henry.

“It fits the blueprint we set out early on in this process to do, which is to add some quality guys that can contribute, the right kind of people that can fill roles on this team without trying to swing for the fences in free agency and knowing that the way we're going to build the nucleus and the core of this team is through the draft,” Lewand said. “We're not done yet. We'll continue to be active in the free-agent market on a selective basis and hope to add those kinds of quality players and quality people.”

Massive but aging defensive tackle Grady Jackson is among the free agents visiting today, and the Lions are keeping tabs on other free agents who've come and gone like cornerback Jabari Greer and corner/return man Chris Carr.

“I've said this in the past, I think one of the great virtues in free agency is patience and being able to do your due diligence, being able to explore the various options,” Lewand said. “Sometimes the quickest hits aren't always the best. And I think history has born that out a lot. An overwhelming number of the big-ticket free agents who sign in the first 24 or 48 hours don't work out, don't see the end of their contracts. So I think being able to add the type of guys that fit your profile, fit your program and do so in a way that is prudent both contractually and from a football perspective I think is important. And when you're patient you have a greater opportunity to do that.”