"Coach Reid's been stressing to me, just let it go, just let it go," Coleman said in the locker room after the game. "Early in the season there was things that I knew I could do, but I wasn't doing to my fullest. . . . That's been kind of a transition in my mind-set, I'm just letting it fly."
Coleman's improved play after being benched for two games earlier this season has helped the defense rally the last two weeks.
He is one of several young defenders who have rebounded from disappointing starts, along with Matthews and fellow safety Nate Allen, each of whom was benched at one point this year.
All three have played better the last two weeks, though they face a bigger test Saturday against Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, a deep group of receivers, and tight end Jason Witten.
"When something is taken away from you, you really come back . . . and you know how awesome a thing it is to start in the NFL," said defensive coordinator Juan Castillo. "It's a privilege."
For Coleman, sitting after missing a key tackle in Week 3 was difficult. Thoughtful and eloquent in the locker room, Coleman lets his emotions out on the field.
He doesn't have star size or speed, but he has good instincts and, at his best, plays with passion and toughness. Early in the year, Coleman admitted, he wasn't getting the most out of those attributes.
"It's not fully trusting what you're reading, and at this game, any type of error, any type of mistake, it's usually leading to a big play," Coleman said.
But when he returned to the starting lineup against Washington, he made three interceptions and felt his instincts really take over starting against Chicago.
Allen, slowed as he recovered from knee surgery earlier in the season, also has improved. He broke up two potential touchdowns to Miami's Brandon Marshall.
