CHICAGO -- A look back at how the San Francisco 49ers fared in three key areas of Sunday's 15-14 win against the Chicago Bears:

What to see from Jimmy G

Much was made this week of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo not only making his first start for the 49ers but also doing it near his hometown of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Of course, none of that mattered much to Garoppolo, who repeatedly made it clear his focus was on learning the game plan and executing it as best he could.

Perhaps the most important thing entering the game was ensuring Garoppolo had time to throw. The 49ers had struggled to protect all season and though Garoppolo has the ability to evade pressure, giving him a clean pocket also figured to give him a chance to make more plays down the field. The Bears were among the top 10 defenses in the league in generating pressure and the 49ers were banged up on the offensive line.

Alas, with right tackle Trent Brown returning from a shoulder injury, Garoppolo got solid protection for most of the day. He was hit just five times, including two sacks but he rarely had defenders in his face and on some occasions was able to evade pressure. The results were almost entirely positive as Garoppolo finished 26-of-37 for 293 yards and engineered the game-winning drive. He did throw his first career interception but that wasn't really his fault as receiver Louis Murphy was unable to control the ball to the ground and Bears defensive back Kyle Fuller ripped it away.

Some touchdowns would be preferred but given the circumstances, it was a strong first start for Garoppolo.

Tracking Trubisky

The 49ers had an opportunity to draft Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky this year but instead traded down with Chicago to add more picks and use the No. 3 choice on Solomon Thomas. It's too early to make any sweeping generalizations about Trubisky, who doesn't have much around him. However, the Bears' offense, led by Trubisky, had undoubtedly struggled this season.

In six of his seven starts (all since Week 5) entering Sunday, Trubisky had thrown for fewer than 200 yards. He's the only quarterback in the league to do that in six starts since Week 5. In addition, Trubisky's accuracy had been spotty at best. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Trubisky had the highest percentage (26) of off-target throws in the league and that has led to a league-low 52.8 percent completion rate.

All in all, Trubisky didn't have a bad day against the Niners, finishing 12-of-15 for 102 yards with a touchdown for a passer rating of 117.2. But the Bears didn't ask much of him and he didn't give much extra in the few times Chicago was on the field. Trubisky average pass traveled just 3.5 yards past the line of scrimmage, the lowest of his career and less than half his average entering the game.

Trubisky's deepest pass was an 11-yard throw that gained 13 yards and he had no other passes that traveled 10 or more yards after that.

Third down, first priority

As you might expect from two teams headed directly toward another year of drafting in the top five, the 49ers and Bears had both struggled mightily on third down this season.

Offensively, the 49ers had converted 34.1 percent of the time, which ranked 26th in the league. Chicago had converted exactly 34 percent of its third downs, which put it one spot below San Francisco.

The good news for those offenses? They get to face defenses that have had trouble getting off the field on third down, though the 49ers' defense has struggled far more than the Bears'.

San Francisco was 30th in the NFL in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 44.9 percent of their third-down attempts. The Bears were allowing opponents to move the chains on 38.7 percent of their tries, which is 15th in the NFL.

But the Niners had one of their best performances on third down all season, converting 10-of-18 for 56 percent, the second-best percentage they've had on third down this season. The Bears, meanwhile, managed to convert five-of-10 third downs for 50 percent but the 49ers' ability to stay on the field on offense limited Chicago's possessions and the Niners controlled the clock to the tune of a 38:47 to 21:13 time of possession advantage.