SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Jeffery Simmons took over the game for the Tennessee Titans in one three-play stretch in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
What went on in the other 59 minutes of San Francisco's 37-24 win over Tennessee on Sunday made that impressive period a footnote to yet another loss for the Titans.
Simmons put together the sixth game on record with at least one sack, a forced fumble and a touchdown catch as the do-everything defensive tackle showed off his wide array of skills.
“You just absolutely love the way Jeff plays, the way he leads, you do love everything about him,” interim coach Mike McCoy said. “You can see him catch that ball, I mean, those are natural hands. And that was pretty sweet. He’s caught a couple of balls like that in practice. What a great effort by everyone to get that touchdown.”
The stretch started when Simmons beat a one-on-one block and hit Brock Purdy just before he was attempting a pass. The ball got knocked loose and Kaiir Elam recovered it.
Simmons was credited with his career-high ninth sack of the season on the play and his second forced fumble.
“This year, I try to take every play like I’m going to get a one-on-one,” he said. “Finally got it and made a hell of a play on the ball. I was excited to get my career high today and hopefully we can keep stacking. Every time I step on the field, I want to be that player that can go make that play. I want to be the player that can cause and create sacks and whatever it may be, be disruptive.
"I think that’s my calling is to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.”
Simmons showed he can be more than just a dominant defensive player after Cam Ward connected with Van Jefferson on a deep strike to the 1 on the next play.
Simmons then entered the game on offense and got loose in the back of the end zone after Ward scrambled for about 6 seconds and the D-lineman caught his second career TD pass.
Simmons said he never got the ball in practice on that play when he goes out in the flat, but the scramble allowed him to improvise and it led to the touchdown.
“He probably throws the ball, which is dangerous, across his body more than any quarterback in the league,” Simmons said. “I’m like, ‘I’m going to go the opposite way. I know Cam can make that throw.’ When I saw him release it, I said, ’Just don’t drop this ball.' That’s all the was going through my mind right there. Do not drop this ball. And he made a hell of a throw across his body. That’s Cam. Cam can do that, and it looked like effortless.
"I was happy to be able to catch that.”
The last time a player had a sack, a forced fumble and a TD catch in the same game came in 2014 when J.J. Watt did it twice for Houston. The only other players to pull that off since sacks became official were Mike Vrabel (2007), Jared Allen (2017) and Barry Krauss (1982).
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) celebrates his touchdown with offensive tackle JC Latham, left, and running back Tony Pollard (20) during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) makes a touchdown catch in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted in a landmark national security trial in the city’s court on Monday, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Three government-vetted judges found Lai, 78, guilty of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Lai, 78, was arrested in August 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national security law that was implemented following massive anti-government protests in 2019. During his five years in custody, Lai has been sentenced for several lesser offenses, and appears to have grown more frail and thinner.
After entering the courtroom wearing a grey blazer, Lai smiled and waved to the public gallery. Among the attendees were Lai’s wife and son, and Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen.
Lai’s trial, conducted without a jury, has been closely monitored by the U.S., Britain, the European Union and political observers as a barometer of media freedom and judicial independence in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
His verdict is also a test for Beijing’s diplomatic ties. U.S. President Donald Trump said he has raised the case with China, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said his government has made it a priority to secure the release of Lai, who is a British citizen.
The founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was convicted on two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security, in addition to one count of conspiracy to distribute seditious publications.
Under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law, the collusion charge could result in a sentence ranging from three years in jail to life imprisonment, depending on the offense's nature and his role in it. The sedition charge carries a maximum of two years’ imprisonment. A hearing was set for January for Lai to present mitigating factors before sentencing.
The Apple Daily was a vocal critic of the Hong Kong government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party. It was forced to shut in 2021 after police raided its newsroom and arrested its senior journalists, with authorities freezing its assets.
During Lai’s 156-day trial, prosecutors accused him of conspiring with senior executives of Apple Daily and others to request foreign forces to impose sanctions or blockades and engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.
The prosecution also accused Lai of making such requests, highlighting his meetings with former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July 2019 at the height of the protests.
It also presented 161 publications, including Apple Daily articles, to the court as evidence of conspiracy to publish seditious materials, as well as social media posts and text messages.
Lai testified for 52 days in his own defense, arguing that he had not called for foreign sanctions after the sweeping security law was imposed in June 2020.
His legal team also argued for freedom of expression.
As the trial progressed, Lai’s health appeared to be deteriorating.
Lai’s lawyers in August told the court that he suffered from heart palpitations. His daughter Claire told The Associated Press that her father has become weaker and skinnier, and lost some of his nails and teeth. She also said he suffered from infections for months, along with constant back pain, diabetes, heart issues and high blood pressure.
“His spirit is strong but his body is failing,” she said.
Hong Kong’s government said no abnormalities were found during a medical examination that followed Lai's complaint of heart problems. It added this month that the medical services provided to him were “adequate and comprehensive.”
Before sunrise, dozens of residents queued outside the court building to secure a courtroom seat.
Former Apple Daily employee Tammy Cheung arrived at 5 a.m., saying she wanted to know about Lai's condition after reports of his health.
She said she felt the process was being rushed since the verdict date was announced only last Friday, but added, “I’m relieved that this case can at least conclude soon.”
Originally scheduled to start in December 2022, Lai’s trial was postponed to December 2023 as authorities blocked a British lawyer from representing him, citing national security risks.
In 2022, Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison over separate fraud charges involving lease violations at Apple Daily’s headquarters. He was also previously sentenced for his roles in unauthorized assemblies in other cases related to the 2019 protests.
Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
People wait to enter the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the verdict for Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial, in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People wait to enter the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the verdict for Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial, in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People wait to enter the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the verdict for Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial, in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People wait to enter the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the verdict for Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai's national security trial, in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
