Jaquiski Tartt takes blame for 49ers NFC Championship defeat

San Francisco 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt takes on all the blame that will surely come his way after dropping an easy interception that could have sealed the deal in the NFC Championship Game.

Jaquiski Tartt and the San Francisco 49ers really let one slip away vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

Having had the Rams’ number the last three seasons, San Francisco was one win away from the much-anticipated Super Bowl trilogy some 33 years in the making with the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, the 49ers safety missed the easiest interception he could ever hope to have in his NFL career. This extended the Rams’ drive, which led to a field goal in a game they would later win.

While Tartt accepts all the criticism and blame that may come his way, he is not Jimmy Garoppolo.

Jaquiski Tartt takes on all the blame for 49ers’ tough playoff loss to the Rams

Even if Tartt made the interception, so what? He is not the quarterback of the NFC-contending team, Garoppolo is. Ultimately, a team is only going to go as far as the starting quarterback allows it. Garoppolo is a fine player, but he does not have the arm talent of Matthew Stafford. He may have had more big-game experience than him prior to this season, but that is a moot point now.

If a team wants to win a road playoff game, the offense needs to score more than 17 points. That may have been enough on the road against the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, but that NFC Divisional Round game was in the elements. This game was played in a state-of-the-art facility in ideal conditions in front of mostly 49ers fans. Garoppolo was the one who needed to play better.

Tartt was not the reason the 49ers lost this game, as it was the play of their limited quarterback.