IRON MOUNTAIN — Well as a die-hard Detroit Lions fan, that wasn’t how I was hoping the season would end.

However, it’s Monday afternoon and that is the reality.

Having never been in this situation before, I’m not sure if this whole column is an overreaction or not.

The Lions haven’t gone on a run like this during my lifetime. So while I’m excited about the future, I realize that there is a chance I will never see my beloved Lions in another NFC Championship game as long as I live. If that’s the case, I can deal with that.

Yes, I am absolutely devastated. But, I’m not going to hammer the talking points I’ve seen in the national media.

Attempting to go for it on fourth down twice, when in field goal territory, wouldn’t have been my move. And still, after fuming about it since the game ended, I can’t blame Dan Campbell for it. That aggressive nature is what put us in that position in the first place. I didn’t complain when they worked, so I’ll give him the pass.

But to see some national media outlets talk about the Lions potentially going after Bill Belichick is outlandish. And those who brought it up, Stugotz from the Dan LeBatard Show, should be excommunicated from the media.

Campbell has exemplified the Detroit mentality and is most certainly the best choice to lead this team. Those players would run through a brick wall for him at the drop of the hat and you don’t mess with that.

My main gripe was with the Lions’ passing game. Jared Goff looked like he was using a limp noodle to sling passes that never truly spiraled to his wide receivers. However, when he actually put something into a pass, Josh Reynolds would drop it.

I don’t want to be a prisoner of the moment, but I think Reynolds’ time in Detroit needs to come to an expeditious end.

I understand his history with Goff, but that wasn’t very evident in the clutch moments of Sunday’s game.

You could point to Jamyr Gibbs’ fumble or the insane grab by Brandon Aiyuk as other reasons for the loss. And I still would argue that despite all of those issues, we were still in a position to make it happen.

So because of this I have to say it was an incredible season and I can’t thank the Lions enough for finally making our beloved team a national talking point.

I also want to apologize to Sheila Hamp Ford. I was one of the more vocal people toting the “Sell the team” movement, especially after the Quinn-Tricia era. I even boycotted buying Lions’ gear until things turned around.

Although it was completely justified at the time, I have to retract the statement. You have done what was needed to finally give my generation of Lions’ fans a winner. Thank you.

The apologies don’t stop there though. Brad Holmes deserves his due. I was pretty vocal about my disdain for the Sam LaPorta pick.

I thought he was going to be another Eric Ebron or TJ Hockenson. But I was dead wrong.

Holmes hasn’t missed since taking the reins, even Malcom Rodriguez made his presence felt against the 49ers with that interception. So I won’t be questioning his decisions going forward.

Outside of those things, I feel like I need to explain my Lions fandom to everyone in my column.

During the season, I choose not to write about Detroit very much in my columns because of superstition.

Next season, I will be changing that and I plan to at least touch on each game in my columns.

I’ve loved the Lions as long as I can remember and that’s because of my mom.

One of the first pictures of me was in a Barry Sanders jersey that I wore every chance I got. After she passed away in 1996, I felt a need to represent the Lions in her absence and boy has it been a tough ride.

I’ve watched games in the old folks home with my Great Grandma and Grandpa Knight. When I was deployed to Afghanistan, I would skip sleep to make sure I cheered Detroit on. And it was all worth it.

Every inexplicably dumb decision Matt Millen made, Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson hanging their cleats up in the prime of their career makes this incredible season even more memorable.

SEAN’S FOOD REVIEWS: Although it has been a long winter sports season and I haven’t given any of the food reviews I promised. I finally made it to another concession stand. So we’re going to start with Kingsford.

I decided to start with the BBQ sandwich in the hopes of finding a similar flavor profile of the Kingsford “Coney Dog.” It didn’t disappoint.

The meat was incredibly seasoned and packed with that BBQ flavor. On top of that, there are pieces of cooked onion tucked away in the filling that add a pop of freshness.

Not only was the filling delicious, but it came on a fresh hamburger bun that was pillowy soft yet strong enough to contain everything.

The sandwich was so tasty that it was all I could think about in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

Factoring everything, I have to give the “BBQ sandwich” at the Kingsford concession stand a 4.5 out of 5.