
Steve Wilks was the defensive coordinator for a defense that allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL this season. He was the architect whose adjustments held the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to seven total fourth quarter points as the San Francisco 49ers built back-to-back comeback wins to reach Super Bowl 58. He was the replacement for DeMeco Ryans, a high profile hire who’d led a hapless Carolina Panthers team to 6-6 as interim head coach and had kept the Niners rolling despite a depleted secondary.