Joe Staley: 13 best moments from 49ers tackle’s career

No. 2: In one of the biggest games in San Franciso 49ers history, Staley helped deliver a huge block downfield to allow his team to score.

Rightfully so, everyone talks about “The Catch III.” It secured the 49ers’ trip to the 2012 NFC Championship game for the first time in ages. However, the team needed another key touchdown before they could even get to “The Catch III.”

And this touchdown wouldn’t have happened without the block of the decade.

With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the 49ers were down 24-23 to the New Orleans Saints. This particular drive started on the San Francisco 20-yard line. Alex Smith completed two passes for 50 yards. Running backs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter rushed for a total of 7 yards. All this happened before the 49ers second charged time out of the half.

It’s third down, 8 yards to go for a fresh set of downs. But Smith and Staley had other plans:

The huge block allowed Smith to score a 28-yard touchdown for the 49ers to take the lead with only 2:11 remaining in the game. It will go down as the best block of Staley’s career and the organization should find a way to make it a statue outside Levi’s Stadium.