49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo says Super Bowl criticisms will fuel him this offseason

Jimmy Garoppolo will be remembered all offseason for his fourth-quarter performance in Super Bowl LIV, as he and his team saw a 20-10 lead quickly evaporate. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback went 3-of-11 for 36 yards with an interception and a passer rating of 2.8 in the fourth quarter, so that didn't help as the Kansas City Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points on the way to hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

On Wednesday, the Chiefs celebrated in Kansas City with their fans. Meanwhile, the dejected 49ers had one last team meeting and cleaned out their lockers before scattering for the offseason. They won't return until the offseason program kicks off.

Garoppolo is well aware of the criticisms surrounding his part in Sunday's heartbreaking loss and plans to use them as motivation for next season.

"It is what it is," Garoppolo said of the criticisms. "If you just look at the stats like that, like you said, I mean, yeah, it is what it is. As an offense, as a team, we've been in that situation multiple times, and we've answered the bell. It's tough when that one time, you didn't.

"That's what people will remember. It's the world we live in, and you've just got to own up to it and be a man about it. Like I said before, it will fuel us in this offseason, fuel me especially, in this offseason to come back better."

Added Garoppolo: "Obviously, some throws I wish I had back, some throws I made differently. The one to [Emmanuel Sanders], just missing him, putting a little too much on it. But you've got to be a man. You've got to own up to those things. So, some things I'd rather have back, but this whole year, it's been incredible."

Garoppolo also knows how rare championship opportunities are, and acknowledges that the potential climb back to the Super Bowl won't be an easy one.

"It will be hard to get back here," Garoppolo said, "but I think looking around this room, looking at all the guys, we've got the pieces for it, and guys that have the right mindset for it. And that's the encouraging part, just, I think, most guys feel just about the same way these last couple days."