Josh Reynolds Discusses Drops in Lions' NFC Title Game Loss to 49ers: 'S--t Happens'

Josh Reynolds had two crucial drops in the Detroit Lions' 34-31 NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and both were critical errors—one came on a 4th-and-2 attempt and the other on a 3rd-and-9.

"S--t happens, man," Reynolds told reporters when asked about the miscues. "I know what kind of player I am. Didn't want to drop them. S--t 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, 28, had a solid season for the Lions, serving as the No. 3 option in the passing game for much of the year behind wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta. In total, he caught 40 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns.

Quarterback Jared Goff had his back after the loss.

"We had plenty of mistakes out there," he told reporters. "I missed throws. I took sacks. He made a mistake and it happens and he's an absolute stud."

Reynolds wasn't alone in the team's collapse after the team took a 24-7 lead into halftime.

Jahmyr Gibbs lost a fumble. Kindle Vildor had an interception bounce off his hands and turn into a Brandon Aiyuk touchdown. The defense allowed San Francisco to score on five straight possessions in the second half. Head coach Dan Campbell chose to stay aggressive and go for multiple fourth-down attempts instead of opting for field goals, decisions that were scrutinized heavily after they didn't pan out, and cost himself a crucial timeout late in the game with an ill-advised run call near the goal line.

As losses go, it was a total team effort.

"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."

The question will be whether Reynolds literally moves on this offseason, as he's set to hit unrestricted free agency. A bigger role for 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams should be expected, perhaps carving into Reynolds' workload going forward.

Still, he was a largely reliable option for the team this past season, outside of some untimely drops on Sunday. A reunion with the Lions would make sense as they look to gear up for another deep postseason run.