Pundits will scrutinize Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s decisions to go for two fourth-down conversions in the second half of the NFC championship game all week. Fans may discuss it for the rest of the offseason. But there wouldn’t have been any second-guessing on the first attempt if not for a drop from wide receiver Josh Reynolds.
The veteran wideout failed to secure a pass that would have converted the first fourth down. Then later in the third quarter, Reynolds dropped a third-down attempt that would have been another first down. That forced the Lions to punt.
Those two drops were hugely critical to the run of 27 straight points for the San Francisco 49ers in the second half.
But that didn’t stop Lions quarterback Jared Goff from defending Reynolds to reporters during his postgame press conference.
“Josh is a stud,” Goff told the media. “He made a mistake. We had plenty of mistakes out there. I missed throws. I took sacks. He made a mistake, and it happens.
“He’s an absolute stud.”
Goff, who was Reynolds’ teammate with the Los Angeles Rams from 2017-20 and the past three seasons in Detroit, added that there wasn’t anything he needed to say to the receiver after the game.
Behind a 27-point second half, the 49ers came back to defeat the Lions 34-31 in the NFC championship. Reynolds finished the defeat with 1 catch for 25 yards on 4 targets.
Missed Fourth-Down Opportunity From Josh Reynolds, Lions
The 49ers began the second half with a field goal, but the Lions still led by 10 when they started their first third-quarter possession.
As they did throughout the first half, the Lions moved the ball into 49ers territory. Facing a fourth-and-2 at the 49ers 28-yard line, Campbell elected to go for it.
Goff found an open Reynolds, but he was unable to secure the catch.
The game appeared to flip after that play. The 49ers tallied three touchdowns on their next four drives while the Lions didn’t score again until the final minute of regulation.
With the score tied at 24, Reynolds made another critical mistake. Goff targeted him on third-and-9 with about two minutes remaining in the third quarter. But Reynolds also dropped that pass, which would have extended Detroit’s possession.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but had Reynolds avoided the fourth-down drop, the Lions would have had an opportunity to take a 21-point lead. At the very least, they would have moved into easier field-goal range.
The second drop may not have cost the Lions points, but it hurt the team’s chances to end the San Francisco avalanche that happened in the second half.
QB Jared Goff ‘Proud’ to be Part of 2023 Detroit Lions
Campbell probably summarized it best when he stated to begin his postgame press conference that it felt like he got his heart ripped out. But the Lions head coach also stressed how proud he is of his team.
Goff echoed that sentiment to reporters.
“I struggle finding the words to totally encapsulate how or why,” Goff told the media. “But I do know that I’m proud of this team and proud of these guys. I’m proud to be a part of it. No quarter, half, play defines any of us.
“Unfortunately, they were better than us today.”
The Lions accomplished a lot during the 2023 season. They earned the right to host two playoff games and advanced to their first NFC championship in 32 years.
To Goff’s point, that should be celebrated. But the Lions also tied the record for the largest blown lead in NFC championship game history.
Only time will tell how history will define the 2023 Lions.
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Lions’ Jared Goff Sounds Off on Josh Reynolds After NFC Championship Drops