Preston and Za’Darius Smith are game-wreckers. How can the 49ers stop them?

The 49ers offensive line will go against a pair of elite pass rushers for the second week in a row Sunday in the NFC Championship game.

Last week it was the Vikings’ Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter in the divisional round. Now they will have to worry about the Packers’ Preston and Za’Darius Smith, who are referred to as the “Smith brothers.”

They aren’t related but the chemistry they show and the ability to get to the quarterback is apparent. They also sometimes are shown doing news conferences together.

In Week 12 against the 49ers, Za’Darius Smith had a solo sack and also combined for another with Preston. The 49ers played without veteran left tackle Joe Staley, who was dealing with a finger injury.

In place of Staley, the 49ers started rookie Justin Skule, who was replaced by offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill because of his poor performance. In the last meeting, the 49ers had starting center Weston Richburg healthy. Richburg two weeks later against the Saints suffered a torn patellar tendon, sending him to the injured reserve list.

Replacing Richburg at center since the Saints game is Ben Garland, who is coming off one of his best starts of the season. Garland against the Vikings didn’t allow a single pressure. That stat will be notable this week because Za’Darius Smith led the NFL in quarterback pressures with 71. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa ranked second in quarterback pressures.

Having a healthy Staley back for this game will be invaluable. Staley over the past three weeks has only allowed one pressure and his Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade over that span is an impressive 83.5. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey will also be important in run and pass blocking. His PFF run blocking grade last week was 89.6, which was a career-high.

Protecting Jimmy Garoppolo from the Smith brothers and the rest of the Packers’ defensive line could be the deciding factor in the game. Last week, the 49ers ran the ball 47 times for 186 yards and could take a similar approach this week in order to slow down the Packers’ defensive line.