What exactly happened against the Los Angeles Rams that caused the 49ers to lose a ten-point fourth quarter lead? And why were things so unsuccessful in the run game against a team the 49ers had their way with in the past?
And now that the playoff run has come to an end, where do the players and coaches go from here?
We discuss all that and more in this NFC Championship edition of 49ers Notebook.
* 4th quarter collapse: Things were looking promising for the 49ers when they were up 17-7 over the Rams in the fourth quarter, but the Rams took control down the stretch, putting together three scoring drives while the 49ers suddenly stumbled on offense.
The final two offensive possessions of the game were particularly frustrating for the 49ers, who went three-and-out with a delay of game penalty on their penultimate possession before quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo turned the ball over under pressure on the final possession. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke a bit after the game about where things started going wrong on the second-to-last possession of the game.
"The one, we just didn't get the snap off," Shanahan said. "I don't Alex [center Alex Mack] could hear. There was something -- he ended up making a signal, and when he made the signal, he didn't know how little time was on the clock. Another one we had a messed up substitution. We subbed right, but the guy ended up going to the wrong side, so we had guys on the wrong side."
On the turnover, Garoppolo was facing pressure from the Rams and defensive lineman Aaron Donald before he tossed the ball away for an interception. Shanahan didn't blame Garoppolo, given the situation he was in.
"I don't think he could have done anything else," Shanahan said. "On the first down, he went to the right spot, we got a ball tipped, I think by 91 (defensive tackle Greg Gaines). On the second down, they manned everyone up and he tried to throw it away to the flat. Unfortunately we lost three yards on it. On 3rd-and-13, it looked like Aaron just got in there fast, and he tried to break away and tried not to take a sack to make it 4th-and-20 or whatever it would have been. It happens. You get in a situation there when those guys are going to tee off. I thought we had a great chance of not getting in that situation, but credit to them, and that's why they're still playing."
49ers safety Jimmie Ward said what happened in the fourth quarter could simply be summed up by saying the Rams made the plays they needed to make while the 49ers didn't.
"I feel like they made more plays than us," Ward said. "It was a great game. They ended up making a few more plays than we did. Great job."
* Going was never an option: On the first of their three fourth quarter possessions, the 49ers were able to move the ball into Rams territory before they faced a 4th-and-2 at the 45-yard line. There was a time out after the 49ers fell short on a third down run by fullback Kyle Juszczyk, then the 49ers' offense came onto the field to try to draw the Rams offsides. The attempt to do so failed, then the 49ers, up 17-14 at the time, punted the ball back to the Rams.
Shanahan said there was never any doubt in his mind that punting was the right decision on that play.
"We were never thinking about going for that," Shanahan said. "I thought the game was exactly the game we wanted up to that 2nd-and-1. The 2nd-and-1, I'll be thinking about that a long time, and then the 3rd-and-2, that next play. Then we were just trying to draw them off. We weren't going to go for it at midfield on 4th-and-2."
Another pivotal moment came on the first play of the ensuing possession when 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt dropped what should have been an easy interception of a deep pass by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Shanahan pointed at the team's failures on offense followed by the dropped interception as the sequence that turned the game in the Rams' favor.
"It was those three plays in a row that we had our opportunities, and we didn't come through on those three plays," Shanahan said. "After that it kind of changed into a game we didn't like as much."
* A surprising result in the running game: The 49ers were able to pound away at the Rams on the ground in their two wins during the regular season, rushing 44 times for 156 yards in a 31-10 win on November 15 while putting up 31 carries for 135 yards in the 27-24 win in the season finale on January 9. The Rams, on the other hand, rushed for a combined 37 carries for 116 yards over the course of those two games.
The tables were turned in the NFC Championship game. The 49ers ran for just 50 yards on 20 carries, while the Rams finished with 70 yards on 29 carries. The leading rusher in the game was Rams running back Cam Akers, who is coming off a miraculous late-season comeback after tearing his Achilles in July and finished with 48 yards on 13 carries.
49ers players spoke following the game about what happened on each side of the ball to contribute to the rushing results. On offense, it was a matter of the Rams stuffing the box and making some changes on defense than what they showed during the regular season.
"I think without watching the tape, the biggest thing I noticed is every time we did any of our motions, they just started blitzing through all the gaps," tight end George Kittle said. "They just sent their linebackers downhill, or if they were in man coverage, the safeties would just blitz through if they were guarding me. It makes it kind of hard when they have 9, 10 guys in the box. It just makes it difficult."
Offensive lineman Trent Williams made a similar observation, saying, "They flooded the box. A couple times they brought in an extra D-Lineman. When you're the 49ers and you're known for coming in and running the ball -- we've really marched the ball up and down the field in the run game on this team the last six times we played them, so with the type of players they got, you can't imagine they would continue to come out and get beat by the same scheme, so they switched it up a bit. Kudos to them. It's football."
When it came to the defense, safety Jimmie Ward said the presence of Akers made a big difference.
"He was pretty big for their offense," Ward said. "He's physical, a downhill runner, and he's getting healthier. That's one person. Credit to the other running backs who were running the ball, but I feel like he was the reason why they had more rushing yards than usual."
Rams coach Sean McVay credited his running game with being a major component in his team's success.
"The run game was very key and critical, even though it was sort of tough, hard-earned yards to set some other things up," McVay said.
* Gotta get off the field: Another factor that made a big difference in the game's outcome was what happened on third downs. The Rams converted 11-of-18 third down opportunities, while the 49ers finished just 3-of-9.
Those conversions helped the Rams maintain an edge in time of possession, which was particularly lopsided in the first half when they held the ball for over 20 minutes. 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said he began to feel the effects of that difference in the second half.
"I definitely felt that first half on my legs a little bit, which I usually don't," Bosa said. "So missing our opportunities on third down, which we had been pretty damn good at all year, was one of the reasons we lost."
Ward said the same.
"We felt it. When you stay on the field that long... third down was really killing us this game," Ward said.
* He'll probably cheer for them in the Super Bowl: Shanahan's friendship with McVay and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris from their days on the same staff in Washington is a subject that is often discussed when the Rams face the 49ers, but that friendship was on hold Sunday.
Shanahan didn't have any sort of joy that his friends would be going to the Super Bowl, making it clear that he wanted to go instead. But, by the sound of it, Shanahan will probably be rooting for McVay and Morris to succeed when the Rams play the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on February 13.
"No, I'm not happy," Shanahan said. "But yeah, I respect the hell out of those guys. Sean's a good friend, Raheem's a very good friend, and I'm definitely not happy that they beat us, but those guys I always pull for when it has nothing to do with the Niners."
* And now the offseason begins: The 49ers held their heads high after the NFC Championship game considering what they fought through to get there, but now they face an offseason full of questions.
Most of the team's core is set to return, which leaves the 49ers in a position to carry plenty of optimism into next season. But, as is always the case, there will be some turnover in various areas. Not every impending free agent will be re-signed, while it's expected that the team will make a move to try to trade Garoppolo. Plus, the 49ers still have two assistant coaches being considered for head coaching jobs in offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, while the team may decide to hammer out extensions for a key young player or two.
The 49ers understandably weren't dwelling too much on those topics when the game came to a close, but it won't be long before the page is turned to the next chapter.
"I'll start thinking about that on the plane, setting up our exit meetings, stuff like that, seeing when the Combine's going to be, planning an offseason schedule," Shanahan said. "I've literally done zero of that stuff and didn't plan on thinking about it until a couple weeks from now. When I'm done with this I'll probably start thinking about it."
Each player will have their own agenda during the offseason. For linebacker Fred Warner, it'll be about improving upon a performance he felt was disappointing after being named a first-team All-Pro in 2020.
"I know I want to get past it and get back to work right away," Warner said. "You guys know this season wasn't what I would have wanted personally. But as a team, I'm just so proud of the guys with the way we started. To come back and be in this position is incredible. Personally I'm always going to look at how I could have been better to help the team. I for sure feel I could have made way more plays to get us in a better position maybe to even start the playoffs. I don't know. I'm going to look at it hard though. I'll for sure be better, I know that."
Offensive lineman Trent Williams said he will take time off to heal the high ankle sprain he played through on Sunday, which he's hoping won't require surgery. Williams has faith in whatever direction the 49ers decide to take and will worry instead about improving his game, which was already at an elite level in 2021.
"This organization, I've got a lot of trust in the way they do business," Williams said. "They went to the Super Bowl in '19, had some injuries last year, finished in last place, and this year we came right back to where I think we're supposed to be. So I'm going to worry about myself and coming back a better Trent. And I know that Kyle and John (general manager John Lynch) and the Yorks, we're in good shape. I'm not going to worry about that part of it. I'm only going to worry about myself."
It could be a big offseason for wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who is among the talented young players the 49ers could try to sign to a significant contract extension in the near future. But for now, Samuel isn't thinking too far past what happened Sunday night.
"We're not worried about 2022 right now," Samuel said. "We've got to get this one behind us, hopefully have a team meeting tomorrow to get everything out of the way and everybody just part their ways, get ready for the offseason and come back ready to go."
As for Garoppolo, he'll learn his fate soon enough. He didn't get the ending he wanted, but he's still happy with what was accomplished during his likely final season with the 49ers.
"We'll see what happens in these next couple of days, weeks, whatever, but I love this team," Garoppolo said. "The fight and the battle in this team throughout the entire year has been really impressive, and I love those guys."