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49ers meltdown gives Rams trip to Super Bowl
San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo walks off the field after the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. The Rams advance to the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
2022.01.30 – San Francisco 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception during the final two minutes of a 20-17 meltdown to the Los Angeles Rams, giving them a trip to the Super Bowl at SOFI stadium.
Los Angeles’ defense won it when Aaron Donald got hold of Garoppolo and forced him to fling a pass toward JaMycal Hasty. The ball caromed high in the air off Hasty’s hands and came straight down to Rams’ Travin Howard — and it was secured by the fourth-year pro who only recently got a prominent role on the LA’s defense.
Another meltdown had Jaquiski Tartt dropping an interception with the 49ers hanging on to a 17-14 lead of Sunday’s NFC championship game. Just another of many plays San Francisco was unable to make in the final 15 minutes that denied the Niners their second Super Bowl trip in three years.
Tartt made game-winning baskets and game-clinching interceptions in high school and college. What the 49ers safety couldn’t do was come up with the biggest play to get his team back to the Super Bowl.
“The moment of truth showed up and I didn’t step up,” Tartt said. “In practice all week I caught everything that came my way. You practice for a moment like that and the only moment when you get it, it doesn’t happen.”
For 6 3/4 games, the Niners had dominated their NFC West rival. But then everything unraveled in the fourth quarter. They had a 17-7 lead entering the final 15 minutes but saw the Rams score 13 straight points.
Besides Tartt’s dropped pick, coach Kyle Shanahan decided not to go on fourth-and-2 in Rams territory after they fell short on two previous short yardage plays and Garoppolo was intercepted on the final drive.
2022.01.30 – (SF 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams) NFL Video Highlights
San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo, right, throws a pass that is intercepted during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
2022.01.30 – (SF 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams) NFL Video Highlights
“Both teams had their opportunities,” Shanahan said. “I thought we had them on the ropes, but we gave them a chance. When you give those guys too many chances, eventually they are going to make them.”
Rams coach Sean McVay appeared to provide Shanahan a gift when he challenged a third-and-2 play on which McVay thought Kyle Juszczyk fumbled instead of being held for no gain. Replays showed Juszczyk lost the ball after being down by contact, which left the Rams with no timeouts.
Instead of seizing momentum and going on fourth-and-2 at the Rams 45 with a 17-14 lead, Shanahan decided to punt after taking a delay-of-game penalty.
Shanahan didn’t even consider going on fourth down. The play he said he wished he had back on that drive was second-and-1 at the Rams 44 when Elijah Mitchell was stopped by Rams safety Eric Weddle for a 1-yard loss.
“On those three plays we had our opportunities and we didn’t come through. After that it changed into a game we ended up not liking too much,” Shanahan said.
2022.01.30 – SF 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams (NBC: Heartbreaking Loss)
San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel, left, scores a touchdown during the first half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
2022.01.30 – SF 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams (NBC: Heartbreaking Loss)
2022.01.30 – SF 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams (NBC: Heartbreaking Loss)
As bad as Shanahan’s decision was, Tartt’s dropped interception on the ensuing play was worse. From the Rams 15, Matthew Stafford’s long throw came directly to the seventh-year safety who had no one around him on a 50-yard pass. Tartt dropped it.
“I was thinking when he threw it ‘oh yeah, he (screwed) up’ and we were going to win this game. And it hit my hands. I thought I had it again, but I dropped it,” Tartt said.
On the next play, Stafford found Odell Beckham Jr. for a 29-yard completion up the left sideline, along with 15 additional yards when Jimmie Ward was called for unnecessary roughness. Matt Gay hit a 40-yard field goal seven plays later to tie it at 17. After Gay hit a second field goal, the Rams held the lead 20-17.
Los Angeles finally snapped a six-game losing streak against its San Francisco arch-rivals, who secured their playoff berth with an overtime comeback victory in Inglewood just three weeks ago.
“I think we knew what a great team this was, but our guys genuinely knew that what happened in the previous six games had nothing to do with what was going to happen when we kicked this one off,” McVay said.
the 49ers had a final chance to win or tie. Garoppolo was pressured by Aaron Donald on third-and-13 from the Niners 22 before being picked off by Howard.
“Some bad execution. It just didn’t work out the way we wanted to,” said Garoppolo, who completed 16 of 30 passes for 232 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Besides the failure to execute in the fourth quarter, the Niners struggled to stop Rams All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp ,who had 11 catches for 142 yards and two TDs. San Francisco often had single coverage on Kupp, including an 11-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter when K’Waun Williams got beaten off the line.
San Francisco’s defense also couldn’t get off the field on third downs as the Rams converted 11 of 18.
2022.01.30 – SF 49ers @ Rams (LOMBARDI: Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo walks off the field after the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. The Rams advance to the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
2022.01.30 – SF 49ers @ Rams (LOMBARDI: Post Game)
2022.01.30 – SF 49ers @ Rams (LOMBARDI: Post Game)
The Rams get their second trip to the Super Bowl in four years.
Los Angeles also becomes the second team to host a Super Bowl in its home stadium after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made history last year. The Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals, who advanced with a 27-24 overtime victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
The Niners were 3-5 at midseason before winning seven of their last nine and getting into the playoffs as the NFC’s sixth seed. They upset Dallas and Green Bay on the road, but took their first loss to the Rams since 2018.
San Francisco has many questions going into the offseason, including if Garoppolo will remain under center.
“It was a roller coaster of a year. It really was,” Garoppolo said. “Good teams are resilient teams. They fight through things that come up and finish on the better end of it.”
BOWLING AT HOME
After 54 consecutive Super Bowls without an NFL team playing in its home stadium, the Rams are the second team to do it in two seasons after Tampa Bay broke the streak last year.
INJURIES
49ers: LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles hurt his knee in the first half and didn’t return. LB Dre Greenlaw injured his calf in the first half. DE Arden Key was evaluated for a head injury at halftime.
Rams; TE Tyler Higbee injured his knee in the first half and didn’t return. RB Cam Akers (shoulder) and WR Van Jefferson (knee) missed time in the first half, but returned.
UP NEXT
49ers: The season is over. San Francisco made five NFC title games in the past 11 years, but won no rings.
Rams: A showdown with Joe Burrow and the impressive Bengals on Feb. 13 in the Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who were both No. 1 overall picks. The other came six years ago when Peyton Manning faced Cam Newton.
Related – See below: Mostert’s Epic Dash to Super Bowl!
Related: 49ers’ field goal knock off top-seat Packers
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Mostert’s Epic Dash to Super Bowl!