Jaquiski Tartt will never forget his role in the demise of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. At one point, they were up 10 points on Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game with a ticket to Super Bowl LVI on the line, but that lead shrank to only three points after Stafford found star receiver Cooper Kupp for an 11-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter. Jimmy Garoppolo couldn’t answer on the next drive and, one punt later, Stafford was back on the field looking to either tie or take the lead.
Instead, he nearly ended the Rams season — dropping back on first-and-10 with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation to heave a pass deep downfield that devolved into one of the easiest interceptions Tartt will ever see in his NFL career, and easily the most important. It was not to be, however, because Tartt dropped the gimme ball, and that’s when the wheels began falling off for the 49ers.
“No excuses!!” Tartt wrote after the loss via Twitter. “I deserve all the criticism my way! Opportunity I dream of, I came up short!!! Let my brothers down!!”
He’s already eyes forward, though.
“It still won’t define me as a person/player. Only will get stronger and better. [Believe that.]”
On the very next play, a clearly frustrated Niners secondary saw safety Jimmie Ward flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after laying an obviously late hit on Odell Beckham Jr. following a 29-yard grab, tacking on another 15 yards to the play. In one fell swoop, the Niners went from having a chance to put the Rams to bed for good with a potential Tartt interception to giving up 44 yards and an eventual game-tying field goal.
Tasked once again thereafter with mounting the offensive troops, Garoppolo could not, but Stafford could — the latter using his next possession to again drive the Rams into field goal range where they’d take a three-point lead. And with one final shot at proving himself to both San Francisco and the entire NFL, Garoppolo threw a game-sealing interception of his own that wasn’t dropped, instead grabbed by All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald to send the Rams to Super Bowl LVI on their own field at SoFi Stadium.
It ends what might’ve been one of the more special postseason runs in 49ers history, and one that might’ve ended much differently if Tartt — and others — hadn’t made critical mistakes when the team could least afford it.
