5 reasons why 49ers ultimately lost NFC championship to Rams
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers committed dumb penalties at dumb times
Jaquiski Tartt will wear the dropped would-be interception for some time. But one could argue it wasn’t the worst play for which the defense was responsible.
In fact, there were two other defensive gaffes that ultimately fed into the Rams’ come-from-behind victory.
And both were of the penalty variety.
One play after Tartt’s drop, fellow Jimmie Ward came in with a late hit on LA wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as he was already down on the turf. That tacked on an additional 15 yards to a play that already gained 29, which ultimately led to that Los Angeles field goal to tie the game at 17.
Earlier, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was flagged for taunting wide receiver Cooper Kupp, adding another 15 yards to a 7-yard gain on a 1st-and-10 play from the Rams’ 25-yard line, and LA managed to turn that extended drive into a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
In total, San Francisco was penalized six times for 54 yards, and all but one of them hurt in one way or another.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles was flagged just twice for 10 yards.
If you want a substantial reason, those flags are a big part of one.