The 49ers defense put together a masterpiece in their last meeting with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. They held the Packers’ quarterback to just 104 yards and limited Green Bay to one touchdown in a 37-8 win.

Duplicating anything close to that performance in the NFC championship game won’t be easy, but strong outings from these six players will help them do it:

DE Dee Ford

There may not be a more impactful player on the 49ers’ defensive line than Ford. He transforms the 49ers’ pass rush into an unstoppable whirlwind that single-handedly wins games. Ford played just 22 snaps against the Vikings and still logged a sack, and his presence collapsing the pocket generated multiple hits on quarterback Kirk Cousins. He can either stretch the offensive line horizontally by lining up opposite Nick Bosa, or stress one side of the line by lining up next to the rookie defensive end. Ford creates a ton of havoc, and that’s what this defense thrives on.