NFC Championship Game 2020: Packers vs. 49ers Comments and Stat Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers have faced off 68 times before, but only once was it for the NFC championship.

In the 1997 season, the Packers beat the 49ers in the NFC title game to advance to Super Bowl XXXII. Green Bay also leads the all-time series over San Francisco 36-31-1, with playoff games included.

Now, these two teams will play each other with the NFC championship on the line again. The winner of Sunday's game in San Francisco will go on to Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2 in Miami.

Here's the pertinent info for the NFC title game, along with stat predictions for some top players and more.

NFC Championship Game Info

Who: No. 2 Green Bay Packers at No. 1 San Francisco 49ers

When: Sunday at 6:40 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Stat Predictions

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: 28-for-46 for 224 passing yards and two touchdowns

Packers WR Davante Adams: Six receptions, 102 yards and one touchdown

Packers LB Preston Smith: Four tackles, one sack and one interception

49ers RB Tevin Coleman: 58 rushing yards, one touchdown

49ers TE George Kittle: Seven receptions, 84 yards and one touchdown

49ers DE Nick Bosa: Five tackles and two sacks

The 49ers have the No. 1 defense in the NFC this season, which was also second in the NFL. They have a balanced rushing attack featuring multiple talented running backs, and there are numerous other playmakers on both sides of the ball.

With so many strengths, some San Francisco players have pointed out that they feel quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo isn't getting the credit he deserves for the 49ers' strong season, in which they have now won 14 games after last weekend's divisional-round victory vs. the Vikings.

Garoppolo passed for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns in 16 games during the regular season, which marked the first campaign in his career that he played in more than six games. He then went 11-for-19 for 131 yards and a touchdown last weekend against Minnesota.

Those may not be the flashiest numbers, but Garoppolo continues to be an integral piece to the 49ers. And his teammates are letting the media know that.

"I think that that's the reason why they don't give Jimmy all the credit because they are saying, 'Oh, he's not the absolute reason why they are winning,'" San Francisco wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said, according to Kyle Posey of Niners Nation. "We have so many different ways that we can win, but at the end of the day, where they can't say that he isn't, is because he's won, he's a winner."

However, there's one thing Garoppolo doesn't have much of—postseason playing experience. Last week's game was the first time that he, and numerous other 49ers players, got on the field for a substantial amount of time in a playoff game.

Sanders is a former Super Bowl champion, though, so he's brought his veteran expertise to his less experienced teammates. Although it appears they haven't needed much advice.

"Those guys are just being themselves," Sanders said, per Posey. "I've been enjoying being around them because they don't even feel the pressure. They don't even know what's going on. They are just playing football and having fun and I think that, you know, sometimes when you get in this game at this level, you forget about the fun part of it."

Another experienced player on the field Sunday will be Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is also a former Super Bowl champion. However, he hasn't made it to a Super Bowl since leading Green Bay to the championship in the 2010 season.

This year, Rodgers has helped the Packers move a game away from the Super Bowl as they've carried over momentum from their strong finish to the regular season. After losing at San Francisco in Week 12, Green Bay won five straight games, then defeated Seattle in the divisional round.

"I feel like we've been trending in the right direction. It's the work week. It's the preparation. It's the install," Rodgers said Wednesday, according to Zach Kruse of Packers Wire. "It's just fine-tuning some stuff that we needed to midseason. It's really helped us play a little more intelligently, a little more reactive."

But the Packers are going to face their greatest challenge since their last meeting with the 49ers, which was a 37-8 rout by San Francisco. If Green Bay can find a way to get some offense going, then this should be a competitive game between the NFC's top two teams this season.