The end was predictably desperate. That’s what made it a fitting final act for Jimmy Garoppolo in a San Francisco 49ers uniform.
As the fourth quarter whittled away in a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, it became increasingly clear that in a postseason dominated by quarterbacks, the 49ers had finally reached a moment when they could no longer hide theirs. The defense could do only so much for so long. It had superbly shut down the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott, and mercilessly put the clamps on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.