The 49ers will host the Giants at Candlestick Park this Sunday in the NFC championship game to see who will go on to the Super Bowl. In order to win the game San Francisco will have to be able to continue to do what they have done all season to get where they are now. The following will explain what those things are.

San Francisco must continue to run the ball effectively and stop the run to win. San Francisco has got all their success this year from running the football. It has opened up the pass game for Alex Smith and allowed him to be successful. They have also dominated on defense in the area of stopping the run, and only give up 77 yards a game on the ground. Teams struggle to get in the end zone against them on the ground and if that continues it will be a very big benefit to San Francisco.

Getting after Eli also must occur to win on Sunday. Stopping the run would make the Giants one dimensional and force Eli to throw while letting the defense know that he is passing. The defense prides itself in rushing the passer and has two Smiths that can provide pressure and get after the quarterback. Eli is known to get rattled when under pressure and has historically made mistakes during these times. The combination of stopping the run and getting pressure would be dismantling to the Giants offense.

In the end, the biggest factor will be Alex Smith continuing to control the ball and eliminate mistakes. He has done well to this point in doing that, but will need to continue that trend. He will have to make plays to keep the offense moving and keep Eli off the field, which would all be a winning combination.