Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds.

Niners rookie nickel cornerback Jimmie Ward is 5-10 and 193 pounds.

Any guesses which one-on-one matchup the Bears consistently exploited in the red zone en route to a 28-20 come-from-behind win at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night?

Congratulations! You guessed right: On each of his three touchdowns, Marshall was lined up in the left slot against Ward and, predictably, it wasn’t a fair fight.

A review:

Touchdown #1

Second quarter, 3-2-SF 17, 18 seconds: True, Marshall made an impossible-to-cover one-handed catch, but he created separation with Ward with a move a few beats before his circus grab. As Marshall was reaching behind his body to snag the ball with his right hand, Ward was stumbling to the ground in the opposite direction. Was Ward supposed to get help? If he was, it didn’t come in time. Safety Eric Reid was in the area, but couldn’t get to Marshall.

Touchdown #2

Fourth quarter, 3-3-SF 5, 13:41: This was the easiest of Marshall’s three touchdowns. Lined up in the left slot, with Santonio Holmes bunched on his outside, Marshall ran to the goal line, put his hands on Ward’s shoulder pads to get leverage, turned around, boxed him out like a power forward in the paint and easily hauled in the rebound, um, the touchdown catch. Reid, again, was in the area, but wasn’t close to making a play on the ball.

Touchdown #3

Fourth quarter, 2-3-SF 3, 7:00: This was also fairly routine. Lined up in the left slot, with Alshon Jeffery split outside, Marshall ran a fade to the left corner of the end zone (Jeffery ran a slant). Marshall gained a bit of separation on Ward with a push near the goal line and Ward didn’t turn around in time to make a play. Marshall’s height advantage wasn’t required: He caught the pass at facemask level as Ward lunged across Marshall’s body in an effort to knock the ball loose.

The 49ers’ upcoming opponents, of course, will make note of Marshall vs. Ward.

Next up, the Cardinals, whom the 49ers will visit Sunday, feature a pair of big-bodied wideouts in Larry Fitzgerald (6-3, 218) and Michael Floyd (6-3, 225). And Arizona isn’t unique: Last year, seven of the top 10 in receiving yards were at least 6-3 and eight weighed at least 205 pounds.

Ward’s rugged night doesn’t mean he can’t be effective in the NFL, but it does strongly suggest his size is a limitation he must overcome.

A day after Ward was drafted, general manager Trent Baalke noted Ward was an exception as he spoke about some of the 49ers’ industrial-sized picks.

“Not a big guy,” Baalke said. “A big heart. Plays big. So big wins. Big wins a lot of football games in the league.”

Sure enough: On Sunday, big won.

For the Bears.