Jaquiski Tartt's missed interception weighs on him: ‘I let the defense down'

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SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers have been bitten hard by the turnover bug.

They have lost the ball 15 times since they last forced a turnover in Week 4 against the Chargers. They turned over the ball four times Sunday in their 39-10 loss to the Rams

Late in the first quarter, it appeared the 49ers finally would get a turnover of their own. Rams quarterback Jared Goff threw the ball right into the hands of 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt, but he couldn’t hold on to it for the interception, and it weighed on him heavily after the game.

“I hang my hat on making plays that look like that,” Tartt said. “That should have been an easy, I think, pick six for me. I pray for opportunities like that, and when it finally came, I didn’t deliver. And that’s something our defense has been needing this whole year, game-changing plays.

"I feel like I let the defense down on that one. It should have been a game-changing play.” 

When asked what exactly happened, Tartt admitted he already was picturing reaching paydirt. 

“I was already thinking pick six before I even caught it,” Tartt said. “And that’s been the thing for our team this year, small things and details. I got to catch the ball first. I got to look at it, then go score. I was already thinking ahead and didn’t catch it.” 

The offense has been turning over the ball on what appears to be a regular basis. Tartt, however, says it doesn’t add extra pressure on the 49ers' defense. The snap counts were pretty even on each side of the ball. The offense finished the day with 58 snaps, and the defense closed out with 61. 

"Yeah, they turn it over,” Tartt said, “but at the same time, they can turn it over a million times. We should have come up with a million and one turnovers if they do. Whatever the offense does, it doesn’t determine what the defense does. At the end of the day, they shouldn’t get in the end zone.” 

The secondary has gone through a bit of personnel shuffling because of injuries. Richard Sherman and Jimmie Ward both sat out of the game, but Tartt said that is no excuse for the lack of turnovers or performance.

“Coaches do a great job preparing us,” Tartt said. “It’s on us. It’s on the team. We got to come out and play hard every play. We are the professionals. The coaches prepare us, and we got to go out there and win.”

There’s no outright solution to the inability to force a turnover. Tartt’s missed interception isn’t the only time the 49ers have suffered from missed opportunities.

“There’s no moral victories,” Tartt said. “We got to make a play. We got to get the ball. We were close, but at the same time,what’s the point of being close when we don’t get it? At the end of the day, we just have to get the ball however we can.”

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