Lions fans were glum as they watched the winningest season in team history come crashing to an end in the first game of the post season.

Five turnovers and other mistakes were enough to sink the Lions and the spirits of a crowd that had many thinking that maybe this was their year.

“I feel tired. I feel emotionally drained,” said Jamaal Hines, 40, as he walked out with his head down before the gamed ended. “I know we had a lot of injuries, which probably would account for us losing, but I don’t know, there’s always next year. That’s what they say, right?”

Hines said his hopes were fading even earlier.

“I guess after that second interception, I felt like it could really kind of slip out of our hands. I was expecting us to beat them by 40, to be honest,” he said. “But that’s just kind of how it is, I guess.“

With 10 minutes left in the game and the Lions down 10, Jermaine Bembry stood feet from the exit at Ford Field. He was just waiting for the moment he knew it was over.

It came a beat later, when Washington scored its 5th touchdown of the game to go up by 17 points in the fourth quarter. At that point, a trickle of exiting fans turned into a stream.

Some fans wore blank expressions as they walked out quietly. Some parents draped their arms around their disappointed kids. Other fans shouted explitives.

“We knew they were a good team,” said Bembry, 42, of Detroit. “At the end of the day, they the team like we was last year.”

Bob Rochow struggled to control his emotions as he left the stadium. He knew the game was over after Jameson Williams threw an interception. A franchise record 15 wins doesn’t matter if you lose the first game in the playoffs.

“It’s a huge disappointment, I’m upset,” Rochow said, shaking his head.

Equally frustrated, Erica Jacob tried to put a positive spin on the heartbreak. 

“We’ll do it again next year,” she said. 

Allante Blackburn, 31, said he wants the team to find a new quarterback, and drop the ticket prices after Saturday’s game.

“We had enough of Jared Goff. Let’s go get another quarterback, please,” Blackburn said. “We need a quarterback that’s gonna put it on his shoulders and actually win plays. Jared Goff has done enough, but he needs to go.”

Sean McCann’s custom-made Detroit Lions Super Bowl ring hat is the closest the Motor City’s football will get to hardware this year.

McCann, 46, of Highland Township, knew it was over when the Lions surrendered a crucial too-many-men penalty in the 4th quarter. But he was less despondent than other fans leaving the game early.

“It was a great season man. They had a lot of injuries, they battled,” he said. “They played their hearts out. It was a rough night tonight. Hopefully they pull it together next year and get a real ring.”

Contact John Wisely: [email protected]. On X @jwisely