Maiocco’s observations: Purdy, Pearsall shine in 49ers’ loss to Lions

SANTA CLARA — Unlike the last time these teams met, there essentially was nothing at stake Monday night at Levi's Stadium. But the 49ers and Detroit Lions put on a show worthy of, well, an NFC Championship Game. Brock Purdy, who made all the plays for the 49ers in the postseason matchup, threw two costly interceptions in the second half that overshadowed a career-high 377 passing yards. The Lions took home a 40-34 victory and now can turn their full attention to the more important matters in front of them. The game did not have much in common with the epic playoff matchup of last season, when the 49ers rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Lions and advance to the Super Bowl. Monday's game meant little to the Lions. Their playoff seeding will come down to their Week 18 Sunday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. It meant even less for the 49ers, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention before taking the field for their Week 16 game at the Miami Dolphins. Here are the 49ers' top takeaways from Monday's game: Offense starts clicking Even behind a makeshift offensive line, the 49ers'...