Mitchell Puts Lions on Victory Layne : Pro football: Quarterback throws for team-record 410 yards, four touchdowns while beating Vikings, 44-38.

It was the kind of performance Bobby Layne would have loved.

Scott Mitchell, playing on a gimpy right ankle, threw a career-high four touchdown passes and shattered Layne’s team record with 410 yards Thursday as the Detroit Lions kept their playoff hopes alive with a 44-38 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

“Anybody who doesn’t think Scott Mitchell is tough enough is welcome to put on my uniform and try him out,” said Herman Moore, one of three Detroit receivers with more than 100 yards in catches. “Scott’s been taking a lot of heat this year, but I think he proved today what a competitor he is.”

The Lions (6-6) nailed down the victory by taking advantage of the first mistakes in almost a month by Warren Moon. Moon, 39, hadn’t thrown an interception in his last four games. But he was picked off twice by the Lions and each was costly to Minnesota (6-6).

“This is really disappointing,” Moon said. “We made enough plays to win it. We just hurt ourselves with mistakes.”

Moon’s first interception led to Mitchell’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Moore late in the third quarter. That gave Detroit a 34-31 lead the Lions didn’t relinquish.

Moon’s second interception came on the final play of the game when he barely missed on a desperation pass to Cris Carter in the end zone.

Moon completed 30 of 47 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns. He has 14 touchdown tosses in his last four games. Jake Reed had six receptions for a season-high 149 yards.

“I don’t know if I have been in a game like this since grade school,” Moon said. “I’ve been in games that were this high-scoring, but never when there were three touchdowns taken off the board.”

The Vikings had two touchdowns nullified by penalties, the Lions lost one to a penalty.

Mitchell was 30 for 45 with one interception. Moore caught eight passes for 127 yards, Brett Perriman tied a club record with 12 catches for 153 yards, and Johnnie Morton caught seven for 102 yards.

Barry Sanders ran 24 times for 138 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown dash. All but one of his yards came in the second half.

The late Layne set the club mark with 374 yards against the Chicago Bears in 1950.