Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes his team needs to start fast, ride the emotional wave and stay poised throughout the transitions of momentum to go on the road and beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Rodgers outlined some of the keys to winning big games on the road during his press conference Friday.

“It’s the same recipe to winning on the road as in the regular season,” Rodgers said. “You have to go in and start fast, try and take the crowd out of it as much as you can.”

During the first meeting in San Francisco, Rodgers lost a fumble on the first series and handed the 49ers seven easy points. All week, Rodgers has pointed to a faster start as a crucial part of the Packers winning the rematch.

He can reflect back on big road wins in Dallas and Kansas City as evidence for the importance of starting fast.

But even a fast start doesn’t guarantee anything late, and the key to sustaining a fast start is surviving the waves of momentum that happen in every big game against a talented opponent.

“You realize it’s going to be a rollercoaster of momentum as most football games are, especially when you’re playing great teams,” Rodgers said. “You have to ride that wave and make sure you’re on the right side of it. Understand the surge is coming at various times throughout the game. We’re going to need some timely stops from the defense and some important conversions on offense.”

Despite fast starts in Dallas and Kansas City, the Packers needed big plays late to close out the victories. The same will likely be true in San Francisco on Sunday.

The Packers must also avoid in-game hurdles. Big games create opportunities for big mistakes, and mistakes often happen when players try to do too much.

The Packers have tried to keep everything about the preparation phase similar to a normal week so that players don’t feel the need to make it more than it is.

“This is the same type of game. It’s 60 minutes. It’s 11-on-11. It’s all the cliches,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “The problem is when you make it bigger than it needs to be. When you try to do too much. When you try and cover for somebody else in your own mind. That’s when the mistakes happen.”

Composure is the antidote. It’s something the Packers didn’t show much of in the first meeting, especially during the first half as the 49ers raced out to a 23-0 lead in the first half.

However, the Packers have generally played their best late in games this season, and they kept their composure despite a second-half rally from Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday. A big defensive stop and two third-down conversions finished it off.

“The key is to stay poised. There will be those huge emotional waves,” Rodgers said. “If we can stay poised and stay focused and make the plays that are there, I feel like we’re going to be in the game and have a great chance to win.”