Game review

OFFENSE

After taking a 17-7 late third-quarter lead, the 49ers barely moved: two first downs, 28 net yards, two punts, an interception and, of course, zero points on three fourth-quarter possessions. It will inspire Super Bowl LIV flashbacks for QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who completed 1 of 6 passes for minus-3 yards with a gamesealing pick (and another pass that corner Jalen Ramsey should have picked on the 49ers’ penultimate possession) on the final two possessions. The game was left in Garoppolo’s hands late partly because the 49ers’ running game was a rumor: 50 yards on 2.5 yards per carry. The 49ers had 16 first downs, 282 yards and went 3-for-9 on third down.

DEFENSE

The 49ers had some big plays — a red-zone interception by Jimmie Ward and a 4th-and-1 stop on a QB sneak in the third quarter — but their biggest was the one they didn’t make: Safety Jaquiski Tartt dropped a wouldbe pick that Matthew Stafford all but placed in his lap with the 49ers leading 17-14 in the fourth quarter. Ouch. The 49ers limited a high-powered offense to seven points in the first 43 minutes before unraveling. The Rams scored 13 points, Ward and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair had 15-yard penalties and Stafford completed 14 of 17 passes for 159 yards and a TD on three straight scoring drives before a kneeldown possession.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Robbie Gould. Playoffs. Automatic. Gould made a 38-yard FG and two extra points to remain perfect in his postseason career. The totals: 21-for-21 on FGAs and 34-for-34 on XPAs. Deebo Samuel didn’t add pop as a kickoff returner. He returned kicks 11 and 15 yards, to the 14- and 18-yard line, respectively, in the second half. Trent Sherfield had a terrific catch and throwback on a punt to force the Rams to start a drive at their 3-yard line in the first quarter.

COACHING

Kyle Shanahan’s decisions when the 49ers were leading 17-14 with 10 minutes left will be questioned. First, on 3rd-and-2 from the Rams’ 45-yard line, he sent left tackle Trent Williams in motion to the right and tried to trick the Rams with a fullback dive. It didn’t work. Kyle Juszczyk was stuffed for no gain. Shanahan then decided to punt instead of going for it and, you know how things went after that. Another curious call: Before the Rams kicked the gamewinning field goal, Shanahan didn’t take a timeout with about 2:30 left and let the clock get to the two-minute warning.

OVERALL

The Captains of Chaos, the gutty team that so often was at its best late in the season in crunch time, came apart at the worst possible time. Yes, Garoppolo failed to deliver, but the defense also allowed Stafford to deliver, again and again, in the fourth quarter. The 49ers didn’t resemble the 49ers without their tone-setting rushing attack.