Detroit Lions' Josh Reynolds on costly NFC championship drops vs. 49ers: '(Bleep) happens'
Josh Reynolds did not have an explanation for why things went so terribly wrong in the second half, a day after the Detroit Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.
"No," Reynolds said at locker room clean out Monday in Allen Park. "But I definitely didn’t help the part."
Reynolds had two third-quarter drops Sunday as part of a brutal second half of self-inflicted mistakes that helped cost the Lions a spot in the Super Bowl.
He couldn't hold onto a tough fourth-and-2 conversion on the Lions' second drive of the second half that glanced off his arm, and dropped a third-and-9 pass a few minutes later that forced a Lions punt.
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The 49ers drove 72 yards in five plays for a touchdown to cut their deficit to 24-17 after Reynolds' first drop, and Jake Moody capped an 11-play drive with the go-ahead field goal after Reynolds' second.
"Shit happens, man," Reynolds said. "I know what kind of player I am. Didn’t want to drop them. Shit happens. I just — do I want those back? Of course, but I can’t and I just got to work this offseason and be prepared for the moment when it comes."
Reynolds was a 2021 waiver claim who has been a key part of the Lions offense the past two seasons. He caught 40 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns this season while playing primarily as the No. 2 receiver.
He played all 17 games despite tearing an adductor muscle in his groin in Week 3, and so ingratiated himself to teammates and coaches with his dirty work that the Lions fed him four straight passes at the end of their Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings to trigger a $250,000 incentive in his contract.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff defended Reynolds on Sunday, calling him "a stud" who "made a mistake."
"We had plenty of mistakes out there," Goff said. "I missed throws. I took sacks. He made a mistake and it happens and he's an absolute stud."
The Lions built a 17-point lead in a dominant first half against the 49ers, but unraveled in the second half. Jahmyr Gibbs lost a fumble the possession after Reynolds' first drop, Chase Lucas stepped on the goal line while trying to down a punt after Reynolds' second drop, and the defense gave up scores on five straight possessions.
Reynolds said no one in the Lions locker room was "pointing fingers cause everybody knows there’s a lot that went into the" loss.
He's a pending unrestricted free agent who hopes to return in 2024, and said the Lions have told him "they want me back." He added at some point this offseason, he'll be able to put the drops behind him.
"It’s something you learn throughout the years playing this game cause if you’re sitting here sulking on the bad, it’s hard to have good come out of it," Reynolds said. "Ultimately, you’ve just got to learn from it, take it as a learning lesson, take it on the chin and move on."
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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions WR Josh Reynolds on costly drops vs. 49ers: '(Bleep) happens'
