NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

PACKERS AT 49ERS

TV: 6:40 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California BetMGM line: 49ers by 71⁄2

Three keys

1. Let’s run it back: These teams will meet 56 days after San Francisco’s 37-8 drubbing of Green Bay in the regular season. Rematches such as this always provide interesting subplots. Coach Kyle Shanahan has urged his team to not be “stupid” and overlook the Packers. For Green Bay, the onus will be to learn from that first game and adjust. Ultimately, the quarterbacks will play a huge role. The 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo outperformed Aaron Rodgers in that first meeting, but expect Rodgers to throw for more than 104 yards this time.

2. Third-down dominance: One theme from the earlier matchup that carried over into the first round of the playoffs: San Francisco’s incredibly stingy third-down defense. The 49ers held Green Bay to one third-down conversion in 15 attempts in November and held the Vikings to 2 of 12 on third down last weekend. There’s plenty to rave about on San Francisco’s defense, but its third-down stoppage rate – which was tied for second in the NFL during the regular season – could play a particularly huge role in controlling the clock and keeping Rodgers from establishing a rhythm.

3. Spotlight on the Smiths: Green Bay was the only team in the NFL to have two players record 12 sacks or more in the regular season. And both, Za’Darius Smith (131⁄2 regular-season sacks) and Preston Smith (12), came up huge against the Seahawks, too, finishing with two sacks and four quarterback hits apiece. The 49ers weren’t particularly sack-prone in the regular season, but the Packers should look to San Francisco’s shocking loss to Atlanta (five sacks allowed) this season as a blueprint. If the Smiths can sack Garoppolo five times in this one, they’ll give the Packers a shot.