The San Francisco 49ers have a massive game in Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks. Whoever comes out victorious will claim the NFC West and No. 1 seed in the conference.
Nonetheless, despite having the playoffs on the horizon, the Niners’ defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, could be in the coaching rumor mill soon. Saleh has adopted a bend-but-don’t-break mentality for his defense, which has lost Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.
Amid the 49ers coach working with what he has to help San Francisco win games, his name is again popping up as a potential head coach candidate. During a December 29 appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared what he’s hearing regarding Saleh.
“I think Robert Saleh is definitely going to get interviewed here in this cycle,” Schefter said on the program. “We’ll see whether or not he gets one. That certainly will be a possibility. His name has been bandied about here as a candidate. Trying to think of other guys that they would have.
“They have a young guy on their staff, Klay Kubiak, who eventually, I think, is going to be a head coach one day—Klint Kubiak’s brother. I don’t know that he’s there yet, but eventually he may get there. They have some young GM candidates there as well. From the head coaching standpoint, Saleh would represent their best hope to get one this offseason.”
49ers Get Praised by Bears’ Ben Johnson
San Francisco did give up 38 points in the win over the Chicago Bears. However, Saleh and his unit made a key stop to end the game, as Chicago had an opportunity to score and take the lead as time expired.
Nonetheless, Chicago couldn’t convert a touchdown, leading to the 49ers’ win. After the contest, Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave credit to San Francisco for coming away with the victory.
“They controlled the ball,” Johnson told reporters postgame. “They did a good job building the lead there, down by seven at halftime. We couldn’t stay on the field on offense. We were 0-for-3 on third downs. They were five for seven on third downs in that first half. And yet, [in the] second half, I did feel like we picked up our game a little bit as a team.
“We closed that gap and made it to where we could potentially win that thing there at the end. So, I was proud of the guys for that, but it just wasn’t enough. And when you go on the road against a good team like that, you got to be on top of your mess the entire time. And we just weren’t.”
49ers’ Star Ready for a Major Role Against the Seahawks
Heading into the contest against the Seahawks, 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir stated that he’s ready for the task of showing Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As a result, it will be interesting to see if Saleh shares that same sentiment as the defensive back.
“Hopefully, I’ll get to shadow JSN,” Lenoir told reporters in a December 29 video posted by On SI’s Grant Cohn. “I’m ready for this. I hope he ready. Man to man covers me and him. That’s what I want. Me and him.”
If the Niners defeat Seattle, then Saleh’s head coaching stock will definitely rise running into the postseason.
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