DETROIT – The Detroit Lions' season came to an abrupt end Sunday night after a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs. Despite leading 20-7 midway through the third quarter, the Lions folded in the final 20 minutes and were eliminated from the playoffs after a solid 11-5 season.

Even after the first-round loss, the 2014 season was a resounding success for Detriot, which lost 21 games over the past two seasons.

Let's take a look back at some of the standout player performances from the season and name an offensive and defensive MVP.

Offensive candidates:
Calvin Johnson
Golden Tate
Joique Bell

WR Calvin Johnson

Season stats: 71 catches, 1,077 receiving yards, 8 TD

Johnson battled through another season of injuries in 2014, proving once again that he can still be a dangerous weapon at less than 100 percent health. Megatron sat out three full games this year and still amassed over a thousand receiving yards and tied for the team lead in touchdowns.

The value of having Johnson on the field can't be overstated for the Lions' offense. He not only gives Matthew Stafford a gigantic target downfield, he takes away the opponent's best cornerback and opens up the field for teammates like Golden Tate and the running backs out of the backfield.

Looking back on the offensive performances of 2014, it's clear that Detroit's offense goes as Johnson goes. In the three games in which the Lions scored more than 30 points this season, Johnson caught a total of 26 passes for 468 yards and five touchdowns. In Johnson's other 10 games, he picked up just 609 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions averaged a measley 15.5 points per game.

Clearly, CJ is the motor that makes the Detroit offense run.

WR Golden Tate

Season stats: 99 catches, 1,331 yards, 4 TD, 5 rush, 30 yards

When the Lions signed Tate during the offseason to play sidekick to Megatron, they never dreamed he would turn into the incredibly dangerous weapon that led the team in catches and yards.

Tate kept the Lions above water during the first half of the season when Johnson was missing games and playing hurt. In the month of October, in which Johnson had only one catch in four games, Tate caught 31 passes for 483 yards and three touchdowns. He picked up over 150 yards in each of Detroit's one-point victories against New Orleans and Atlanta, essentially turning a 9-7 season into 11-5 on his own.

Tate's biggest play of the year came against New Orleans, when the Lions trailed by 13 with under four minutes left on the clock. Tate took a short pass from Stafford on the right sideline, broke away from a defender and turned on the jets to score a 73-yard touchdown -- the team's longest play of the year.

His play against the Saints set the tone for an oustanding season of picking up yards after the catch. Tate led all NFL wide receivers with 691 yards after the catch, which played a major role in him picking up 58 first-downs on the year.

Johnson is the presence that makes the Lions' offense click, but Tate pieced together perhaps the most important season of any player on the team.

RB Joique Bell

Season stats: 223 rush, 860 yards, 7 TD, 34 catches, 322 yards, 1 TD

One of the biggest disappointments of the Lions' season was the regression of a rushing attack that saw Bell and Reggie Bush combine for over 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. But what fans don't realize is that Bell didn't regress, averaging 3.9 yards per rush this season -- identical to his mark from 2013.

With Bush sidelined by injury for much of the year, Bell took over as the lead rusher midway through the season. He tied for the team lead with eight total touchdowns and finished second only to Tate in total yards (1,182).

Bell often struggled early in games, but led the Lions in icing victories by picking up first downs in the fourth quarter. He demonstrated the underrated ability to shed the first tackler that got to him and nearly always fell forward.

The offensive line played a major role in limiting the rushing attack this season, but Bell still gave the Lions a legitimate threat.

My Offensive MVP: Golden Tate

30532872

Defensive Candidates:
DeAndre Levy
Glover Quin
Ndamukong Suh

LB DeAndre Levy

Season stats: 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, 1 interception

When the Pro-Bowl teams were announced last week, Levy's name was among the most glaring left off the list. One year removed from leading all linebackers in interceptions, Levy led the Lions' No. 2-ranked defense in tackles by 65.

The six-year veteran out of Wisconsin spent the entire season causing havoc in opposing backfields, leading the team with 15 tackles for loss and pitching in 2.5 sacks. He took a step back in pass coverage from 2013, but still knocked down five passes and returned his one pick for 13 yards.

Perhaps the only knock on Levy came late in the season, as a couple of crucial missed tackles really burned the Lions when they needed a stop. The latest example came in the playoff game, when Levy missed a tackle on Dallas' Dez Bryant that would have forced the Cowboys to punt on fourth down. Instead, Bryant broke away from Levy and ran down the left sideline inside the 10, setting up an eventual touchdown.

In all, 2014 marked a second-straight phenominal year for Levy, who is emerging as one of the most well-rounded defenders in the league.

FS Glover Quin

Season stats: 73 tackles, 10 passes defended, 7 interceptions

Teryl Austin came to Detroit after coaching defensive backs and secondarys for most of his NFL career, and his impact on that unit was immediate. The Lions passed on a number of talented cornerback options early in the draft because Austin turned players like Quin into top-tier NFL defenders.

Quin not only led the NFL with seven picks this season, he also paired with James Ihedigbo to provide an insurance blanket for Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis in coverage. As a result, the Lions' cornerbacks enjoyed career years and combined with an elite defensive line to give opposing quarterbacks fits.

Quin's biggest interception of the year came in the fourth quarter against the Saints, following Tate's 73-yard touchdown catch. Quin picked off a Drew Brees pass deep in New Orleans territory and set up the winning touchdown pass.

In the NFL, games are won and lost by the turnover battle. Quin played the biggest role in Detroit's +7 margin that landed them at No. 4 in the NFC.

DT Ndamukong Suh

Season stats: 53 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 3 passes defended

Heading into a contract year, it's no surprise that Suh elevated his play to new heights in 2014. But few knew his leadership on the defensive line would lead to an historic season of stopping the run in Detroit.

The Lions allowed just 69.3 rushing yards per game this season, which was better than any NFL team by more than 10 yards. As the most disruptive defensive lineman in the game, Suh played a major role in leading the defense to that mark.

On Sunday, Suh was at his best on the biggest stage. He joined Ziggy Ansah in bottling up the NFL's leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, and holding him to 75 yards on 19 carries. During a late Dallas drive, Suh sacked Tony Romo twice in a row to force a 51-yard field goal attempt.

Austin is garnering nationwide attention for leading the revamped Lions defense, but he couldn't have done so without Suh's 2014 campaign. The five-year Lion not only leads the team in sacks, he also rushes quarterbacks into bad decisions and forces opposing coordinators to gameplan around him.

My Defensive MVP: Ndamukong Suh

30532932

It took contributions across the board to carry Detroit into this year's playoffs. But Tate and Suh were dominant on their respective sides of the ball and earned my votes for Lions MVP.