The San Francisco 49ers weren’t dominant against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Lumen Field, but they were good enough to earn a 17-13 victory and start their 2025 campaign with a 1-0 record.

Robert Saleh’s defense was a big reason for San Francisco’s victory, as they held Sam Darnold to just 150 passing yards and Seattle’s rushing attack to just 84 yards on 3.2 yards per attempt. They also swarmed to balls around the line of scrimmage, finishing with seven tackles for a loss.

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The 49ers‘ pass rush wasn’t overly effective in the game, but defensive end Nick Bosa was able to force Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas into Darnold’s arm, causing a fumble that Bosa recovered and stifling Seattle’s comeback attempt.

After the game, Bosa spoke to the MMQB’s Albert Breer and really spoke about the impact of Saleh’s return to the 49ers after his four-year stint as head coach of the New York Jets.

“I missed my whole second year [with a torn ACL], so I’ve only had him basically for one year,” Bosa said. “I was a rookie, still figuring things out. He came back, and I’ve been in it now, and I’ve had different coaches and experienced different things. He’s an incredibly important piece. He’s like a Kyle Shanahan on defense. Very smart and puts in the hours and makes sure he puts us in the right situations… He knows where the league is going on a year-to-year basis. He evolves with the NFL. In 2019, we did this well and we can do it again. With the rookies, if you can talk to him, and have a conversation, you will learn so much.”

Saleh’s defenses have always been strong. Even before he was let go by the Jets last year in early October, New York had allowed the fifth-fewest points per game (17.0) in the NFL.

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With San Francisco dealing with plenty of injuries on the offense side of the ball and inconsistencies on special teams, they’re going to need their defense to step up, and they did just that to earn a win in their season opener.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers’ Nick Bosa praises Robert Saleh after win over Seahawks