San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played pretty well through the first three quarters of Super Bowl LIV, but he and his team completely fell apart in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers held a 20-10 lead entering the fourth quarter and intercepted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 11:57 remaining in the game. Instead of driving down the field for the likely Lombardi Trophy-clinching score, Garoppolo and the 49ers picked up only one first down and then punted. It was the first of four fourth-quarter possessions that ended poorly for San Francisco.
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Mahomes and his high-scoring Chiefs offense finally found their groove after getting the ball back and outscored San Francisco 21-0 over the final 8:33 of the fourth quarter to earn a 31-20 victory and their first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.
Garoppolo's fourth quarter stats were brutal. In fact, some of them were historically awful. Check out a few in the tweets below.
It will be fascinating to see how Garoppolo responds to this heartbreaking defeat. There's no question he's a super talented player, but he did not respond well to pressure late in Super Bowl LIV. Missing a wide open Emmanuel Sanders on a potential touchdown throw and taking a sack on fourth down with the game on line were just two of the fourth-quarter mistakes the 49ers couldn't afford to make.
The 49ers have a young, talented roster set up to compete in the NFC for several more years, but they need more from Garoppolo in high-pressure situations to clear that final championship hurdle.
