The San Francisco 49ers' defense has come in for a lot of criticism this year to the point where there have been questions about whether coordinator Nick Sorensen will be one-and-done like his predecessor Steve Wilks.

That scenario may still come to pass, but Sorensen's group was dominant in the Week 14 win over the Bears, especially in an ultra one-sided first half. 

While the Niners racked up 319 yards of offense in the first half, the Bears had just four.

Unsurprisingly, that was the lowest total allowed by any team this season and also surpassed a 27-year benchmark for the 49ers as a franchise.

Indeed, it was the fewest yards allowed by the 49ers in a half since they gave up only 11 against the St. Louis Rams on October 12, 1997. San Francisco won that game 30-10.

Though the 49ers enjoyed a more commanding 38-13 win in this one, this San Francisco team is unlikely to go as far as that 1997 vintage. The 49ers went 13-3 that season and progressed to the NFC Championship game before losing to the Green Bay Packers.

At 6-7, the 49ers' hopes of even making the playoffs are hanging by a thread, but if their defense can produce similar levels of play across the final four games, San Francisco's odds of completing an unlikely postseason push will be a lot better.

Could Nick Bosa and Trent Williams play in Week 15? – Kyle Shanahan provides the latest 49ers injury updates

A return for either would be a huge boost.