A successful season, a bitter finish: The 49ers defense made mistakes to doom the season
The defense that shut down Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott the last two weeks wasn’t the same. The same unit that stifled the Rams during their two prior meetings couldn’t get off the field.
And with an opportunity to change a tight game in the fourth quarter, the 49ers quite literally dropped the ball.
That was the key of Sunday’s NFC Championship game. The upstart 49ers, looking to become just the third No. 6 seed to reach the Super Bowl, couldn’t hold a 10-point lead on the Los Angeles Rams after tight end George Kittle hauled in a touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo near the end of the third quarter.
San Francisco, to that point, appeared in control, in the same way as the previous game in Green Bay, when the 49ers kept the Packers within reach despite not getting in the end zone until the fourth quarter. Only this time the 49ers had the points they needed to reach their second Super Bowl in three years.
But the defense came unglued. The unit that had done so much for the team during its improbable run to Sunday came up short and didn’t carry the offense.
Tartt’s dropped interception
Safety Jaquiski Tartt’s dropped interception will likely go down as the most memorable play from a game defined by missed opportunities for the 49ers. It was one of a handful of regrettable moments the team will think about for years. Their 20-17 loss to a division rival they had beaten six straight times will sting the organization to its core.
“I see (the throw),” Tartt said, “and I’m like, oh yeah, he f---ed up. We’re about to win this game. It hit my hands, I thought I had it, and then I dropped it.”
Indeed, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford nearly gave the red and gold a golden opportunity. The 49ers were leading 17-14 with 9:55 remaining, and Stafford floated a pass to Van Jefferson streaking downfield after it appeared the receiver beat defensive back Emmanuel Moseley in coverage.
Tartt was there, watching the ball float right to him. It was underthrown. It was a terrible decision by Stafford, who has been known to make risky throws, like he did when the 49ers blew the Rams out in November.
“As a player,” Tartt said, “I feel like I let my brothers down. For us, we didn’t play how we needed to play, we left of plays on the field, and obviously my play was a crucial one that I left on the field. Really wish I could have it back.”
Tartt didn’t have to speak to reporters. The NFL has closed locker room access to reporters because of the pandemic. But the 49ers made Tartt available and Tartt spoke openly and honestly, taking responsibility for the play.
Tartt dropped the interception. Fellow safety Jimmie Ward was flagged for an illegal hit on Odell Beckham Jr. on the very next snap. The Rams went on to kick a game-tying field goal. The 49ers offense went three and out for the first time since its first possession of the game. The Rams went right back and took the lead with another field goal drive.
And then the 49ers could do nothing against L.A.’s talented defensive front, with Garoppolo scrambling for his life before a backhanded, desperate heave to running back JaMycal Hasty ended up in the hands of linebacker Travin Howard in the waning moments.
Game over. Season over. Remarkable run, over.
Rams’ third-down success
Many of the defense’s issues could be traced to a single stat. The 49ers couldn’t stop the Rams on third down. L.A. converted 11 of 18. That’s a 61% clip after San Francisco’s defense throughout the season allowed opponents to convert 40% of third downs. The Rams had 396 yards of total offense after being limited by San Francisco to 278 and 265 during their two regular season meetings the 49ers won.
The first half Sunday set the tone. The Rams were 7-of-10 on third down. San Francisco’s defense was on the field for 42 snaps after averaging 61 snaps per game during the regular season.
Though it was somewhat remarkable the 49ers hit halftime with a 10-7 lead. The Rams had been winning time of possession, but they had empty possessions. They turned the ball over on downs, had an interception in the end zone to Ward in the first quarter, they turned the ball over on downs in the third and missed a long field goal. They weren’t flipping field position with punts.
The Rams had punted just once all night, on the game’s first possession. They were moving the ball but not scoring points until scoring 13 of their 20 points in the fourth quarter. It appeared the 49ers defense was bending but not breaking. And then the fourth quarter happened.
“I definitely felt that first half on my legs a little bit,” defensive end Nick Bosa said after finishing with 1.5 sacks. “Which I usually don’t. So missing our opportunities on third down, which we’ve been pretty damn good at all year, was one of the reasons we lost.”
Bosa was his usual self making life tough on the offense. His 1.5 sacks gave him 8.0 in six postseason games, the most in franchise history for the playoffs. They’re the third most through six games in NFL history behind Bears star Richard Dent (9.5) and former Steeler LaMarr Woodley (10.0).
Kupp’s big night
Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp had his way all night. He caught 11 of 14 targets for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Beckham added nine catches on 11 targets. The Rams had just 70 yards rushing and averaged 2.4 yards per carry. So it was about slowing down Stafford, which the 49ers did not do.
And the attrition of the first half was a real factor when the defense broke down late.
“That wasn’t us,” Fred Warner said. “We needed to get off the field. ... We for sure had opportunities to close it out on defense and we didn’t. And that sucks. You look at it. I sit there, I think about all the plays that I had, how I could have done better. I know I’m going to be sick watching the tape. Because if we believe that we’re the number one defense, we needed to come out and play much better than we did.”
The 49ers defense punched above its weight all season. It didn’t have a shutdown corner like Richard Sherman during his last All Pro season in 2019. DeForest Buckner played for the Colts. Warner had a down season by his lofty standards. Dee Ford and Javon Kinlaw were lost with season-ending injuries in the early going. The defense that was elite in 2019 played up to a similar level in Dallas and Green Bay, but not Sunday, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan summed up his feelings and his team’s after the game.
“Guys were hurting,” he said. “Obviously I think everyone could guess how we feel. I’m so proud of those guys. I love this team. Every year is a different team and this is as cool of a team as I’ve ever been a part of. We came up short today and that’s part of sports and part of life. You deal with it. So those guys are hurting now and they’ll be stronger for it.”
A trip to the NFC Championship Game makes this season a successful one, particularly after starting 3-5 and going through a four-game losing streak in the first half of the schedule.
But that doesn’t change the fact the 49ers will remember this game as a missed opportunity.
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 9:38 PM.
