Joe Staley: 13 best moments from 49ers tackle’s career
No. 12: Winning against Seattle was the 49ers biggest kryptonite over the last number of years. When they finally won in the last regular-season game of 2019, Staley put an exclamation point on the game.
Lakers-Celtics. Bruins-Canadiens. Yankees-Red Sox. These are just some of the greatest sports rivalries of all-time. One of the most underrated rivalries is the Seattle Seahawks versus the San Francisco 49ers. Understandably, it wasn’t as competitive as the other teams mentioned, but that’s what makes the Hawks and Niners so enticing.
Staley and the 49ers had only beaten Seattle once in their previous 11 meetings. There were many heartbreaks, including the 2013 NFC Championship game which only one current 49er would like talking about.
But in one of the most important games of the rivalry, Joe Staley and the Niners got the last laugh. If your memory needs a refresher, we’re talking about game 16 of the 2019 season. Winner takes the NFC West title, loser heads to the Wild Card.
Besides the importance of the standings, this game ended an eight-game losing streak at Century Link Field.
In what turned out to be his last regular-season game with the 49ers and in Seattle, Staley celebrated fittingly:
"I've been waiting my whole career for this spike."
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 29, 2020
This...this wins best celebration of the year 🙏@jstaley74 | #74Forever pic.twitter.com/TX5lGgRTMq
He might’ve ended his career with a losing record to the Seahawks, but all those losses take a back seat to the final game of the 2010s.