49ers: Top 30 moments in San Francisco franchise history

San Francisco 49ers: Top 30 all-time moments in franchise history

SAN FRANCISCO - AUGUST 10: (L-R) Former San Francisco 49er players Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana stand with a Super Bowl trophy during a public memorial service for former 49ers coach Bill Walsh August 10, 2007 at Monster Park in San Francisco, California. NFL Hall of Famer Bill Walsh, who was known by many as 'The Genius' for leading the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships, died last week at the age of 75 after a long battle with leukemia. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) /

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No. 12: The Vernon Post

Call this play the “Vernon Post” or “The Catch III.” It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is tight end Vernon Davis’ amazing touchdown reception to seal the 49ers’ 36-32 playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints on January 14, 2012.

The game itself was a classic with both sides exchanging blows and leads.

San Francisco had a 17-14 lead entering the half. But the Saints took a 24-23 lead with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers regained the lead thanks to quarterback Alex Smith’s 28-yard rush at the 2:11 mark, which would have been the play of the game had San Francisco’s 29-24 lead held.

But it didn’t thanks to Saints tight end Jimmy Graham’s 66-yard touchdown reception with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Fortunately, Smith and the 49ers offense were able to drive down the field and put themselves in a position to come away with a dramatic victory.

Smith found tight end Vernon Davis on a post route, and the two connected for a 14-yard touchdown.

The 49ers’ amazing victory lived up to any expectations and goes down as one of the best moments in franchise history.