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How Robert Saleh settled 49ers defense down after shaky start in win vs. Colts

Published Dec 23, 2025 at 8:20 AM
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INDIANAPOLIS — After two touchdown drives from Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers to start the game, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh knew he needed to gather his troops. Linebacker Dee Winters shared that a talk from Saleh led to more disciplined play by the defense and a 48-27 win on “Monday Night Football.”“Saleh brought us to the sideline and was pretty much just saying, ‘Stop panicking,’” Winters said. “We are young on the defense and we have all the confidence in the world. Saleh just pulled us aside and just told us, ‘Let’s play our band of football.’“Once we got settled in, got the three and out, that’s when guys started to build momentum and we won the game.”Coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that the defense also needed to adjust their approach to try to stop Rivers and the Colts offense that was going toe-to-toe with the 49ers through the first two quarters of the game. “I thought we played a little bit more man in the second half,” Shanahan said. “Rivers, you got to slow down. He was hot, and then they made those big third downs, which...

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