5 Keys for Philip Rivers, Colts to Beat 49ers Under the Bright Lights

The Indianapolis Colts are in must-win mode to keep their playoff hopes alive, starting with the San Francisco 49ers.

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts are entering their Monday Night Primetime matchup with the San Francisco 49ers riding a brutal four-game losing streak after falling to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15.

Philip Rivers will start his second game of the year and will look to build off a surprisingly efficient game under center against a fantastic Seattle defense.

The Colts' playoff hopes are narrowing, and they must win against the 49ers on Monday to keep them alive. Here are the five keys to getting off this awful losing streak.

Get Tyler Warren More Involved

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) catches a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Colts tight end Tyler Warren has been incredible in his debut NFL campaign. However, his last two weeks have been pretty rough. Through the previous two contests, he has only five catches for 34 receiving yards.

Warren has also played with an injured Daniel Jones, raw Riley Leonard, and a formerly retired Rivers, so it makes some sense.

The 49ers don't have Fred Warner, who is one of the best coverage linebackers in the league. The 49ers also rank last in the league in sacks (16), so Rivers should have time to find Warren.

When Warren is getting involved, the rest of Shane Steichen's passing offense will open up even with Rivers. It'll be something to see how quickly Steichen tries to get the impressive rookie rolling.

Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt vs. George Kittle

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) scores a touchdown during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The 49ers find ways to move star tight end George Kittle around, but he still primarily plays in line for Kyle Shanahan.

Cornerback Kenny Moore II will see him in the slot, as will safeties Nick Cross and Cam Bynum, but I expect Shanahan to try to scheme Kittle up for matchups with linebackers Germaine Pratt and Zaire Franklin.

Pratt has played great since joining the Colts but isn't much of a threat in coverage. As for Franklin, he's a liability in coverage more often than not.

Lou Anarumo's defense will be affected by how effectively these two linebackers can limit Kittle when they face him. We'll see if this duo is ready for one of the best tight ends in recent memory.

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Be More Efficient on the Ground

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

This is an obvious one, and has been most of the season, but even moreso than ever the Colts must get their ground attack cooking.

Last Week, Jonathan Taylor logged 87 rushing yards on 25 attempts for a 3.5 yards per carry average. Ameer Abdullah tacked on 15 rushing yards on four rushes for a 3.7 average.

The 49ers have allowed 1,485 rushing yards, which ranks 12th in the NFL. It's not wildly impressive, but the Colts aren't going to just run through their defensive trenches, either.

If Indy can get Taylor and Abdullah running, it will help open up things or the very limited Rivers to make some plays against a vulnerable San Francisco pass defense.

Pass-Rush Must Do More

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates after an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

This one is becoming old, and quick. The Colts' pass rush has been unacceptably bad over the last two weeks.

In Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team notched no sacks and no hits on Trevor Lawrence. Against the Seahawks, they stacked only one sack and five QB hits on Sam Darnold.

Outside of the second year defensive end, Laiatu Latu, the rest of Indy's pass-rush hasn't impressed. Yes, DeForest Buckner is a massive piece of the defensive trenches, but one sack and five QB hits in two weeks is bad, plain and simple.

The 49ers have been one of the best offensive lines at keeping their QB secure, allowing only 22 sacks on the year (six on Brock Purdy).

The 49ers' passing offense has been great, and Purdy is coming off a heater against the Tennessee Titans.

If the Colts can't get to him or pressure more consistently, Anarumo's secondary might suffer.

Don't Allow Christian McCaffrey to Completely Take Over

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) is tackled by Tennessee Titans safety Kendell Brooks (30) towards the end zone during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Far easier said than done against the NFL's top candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, but the Colts cannot allow running back Christian McCaffrey to completely dominate.

McCaffrey has put up solid rushing numbers, with 922 rushing yards, 820 receiving yards, and 14 all-purpose TDs through 14 games.

By the rushing yards allowed (1,332), the Colts have been solid, ranking sixth-best in the league. However, they haven't seen a running back of the caliber of McCaffrey.

This is arguably the biggest key to victory. If the defense can keep McCaffrey from blowing the lid off things, it will force Shanahan to go to different avenues with his playbook.

On the flipside, if McCaffrey is allowed to run rampant, it will be nearly impossible to stop this 49ers offense.