SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The greats came back on Saturday, flooding a frothing Levi’s Stadium to watch their treasured San Francisco 49ers engage in a pastime foreign to their fan base for so long: playoff football. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Bryant Young — they all showed up, flocking to witness the latest stage of the 49ers’ revival, six years in the making.

How familiar it must have seemed to them, the top-seeded 49ers in the postseason again, winning again, defeating the upstart Minnesota Vikings, 27-10, to advance to the N.F.C. championship game. San Francisco’s opponent will be determined on Sunday, when the Seattle Seahawks visit the Green Bay Packers. But it is certain that the 49ers, having never played a postseason game at Levi’s before Saturday, will now host two this month, with a berth in the Super Bowl at stake next Sunday.

This incarnation of the 49ers suffocates quarterbacks with pressure and deflates offenses with quickness. No one wearing purple seemed capable of countering all that San Francisco flaunted: Minnesota did not surpass 100 total yards — yes, 100 — until late in the fourth quarter.