The 49ers are the No. 1-overall seed in the NFC for a reason. Garoppolo is better than Cousins, who had his day last weekend. The 49ers defense keeping Cook in check will be the difference.

49ers 27, Vikings 14

Vikings receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen vs. 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman

Diggs, who had a curious temper tantrum in the middle of the Vikings’ wild-card win (presumably for lack of targets), led the team with 1,130 receiving yards and six TDs. Thielen, who suffered a cut on his leg during practice this week, but is expected to play, has had an injury-plagued season, playing in only 10 games, but he still caught six TD passes. Sherman, the veteran leader of the 49ers defense, picked off three passes this season and earned a Pro Bowl invite.

By George! Niners tight end George Kittle, Garoppolo’s favorite target for good reason, is virtually uncoverable. What he does against the Vikings’ defense figures to be a major factor in the outcome. Kittle, despite missing two games with injuries, still produced 85 catches for 1,053 yards and a team-high five TD receptions this season. That came after 88 catches for 1,377 yards and five TDs in 2018.

Minnesota will try to counter Kittle’s uncanny skills by throwing a combination of players at him in coverage — linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr, and safeties Andrew Sendejo and Jayron Kearse.

Kittle averages 7.3 yards after a reception, which leads all NFL tight ends by nearly a full yard. That number, too, is also better than any wide receiver.

Time to Cook: The Vikings — specifically Cousins — would be nowhere without star running back Dalvin Cook, who produced 1,135 rushing yards and 13 rushing TDs this season. Cook makes the Minnesota offense go and he opens up the passing game for Cousins. Cook has scored 10 TDs in the Vikings’ 11 victories and three in their six losses.

In last week’s win in New Orleans, he became the first Vikings player since Adrian Peterson 10 years ago to rush for more than 90 yards and two TDs in a postseason game.

Cook makes Cousins’ play-action passing game to Thielen and Diggs a dangerous force. The San Francisco defense has allowed 4.5 yards per rush and 112.6 yards per game this season, ranked a pedestrian 17th in the league. Two weeks ago, Seattle’s Travis Homer (not a household name) rushed for 125 yards on the 49ers.

The San Francisco defense, stronger against the pass, needs big games from defensive end Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. The expected return of defensive end Dee Ford and linebacker Kwon Alexander from injuries should help.

Secondary is Primary: The 49ers, with creative head coach Kyle Shanahan, are highly multiple on offense, which puts a lot of pressure on the back end of the Minnesota defense, particularly cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who has had an off year, allowing an astonishing 83.8 percent completion rate on passes thrown at him. That’s the second-highest of any cornerback since 2015, and it has to have Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel, as well as Kittle, salivating. Look for the Vikings to incorporate a lot of safety help, with Sendejo used in the slot, where Kittle often lines up.

History Majors: Last week, the Vikings won their first road playoff game in 15 years. Now they go up against a 49ers team that has defeated them in nine of the past 10 meetings in San Francisco’s home stadium. No. 6 seeds have lost eight consecutive games in the divisional round and are 5-19 since 1990 in this round. The 49ers own a 4-1 record against the Vikings in the postseason. They, too, have five Super Bowl titles while the Vikings are 0-4 in Super Bowls.