San Francisco 49ers

49ers' Simpson finishes with three catches in first game since 2013

Published Nov. 1, 2015 9:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

Three field goals in the past eight quarters pretty much sums up the state of the San Francisco 49ers' offense.

Yet, among another forgettable performance, wide receiver Jerome Simpson provided a glimmer of hope for the struggling offense in his season debut.

Simpson was targeted 10 times by quarterback Colin Kaepernick and finished with three catches for 34 yards. It certainly wasn't a stellar effort, but it gave Simpson something to build upon in his first game since the 2013 season.

"I just take it one play at a time. I just concentrated," Simpson said. "I didn't feel like I missed a beat. I just wanted to make more plays for my team, though."

Simpson was suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He also earned a three-game ban to start last season, leading to his release by the Minnesota Vikings and keeping Simpson on the shelf for the entire 2014 season.

The 29-year-old Simpson, who had a career-high 50 catches in 2011 with Cincinnati and 48 receptions with the Vikings in 2013, could have been talking about himself when he addressed reporters on the importance of the 49ers overcoming adversity.

"Tough people last through tough times," Simpson said. "Right now, we're having tough times, but I feel like this team is going to prevail. We're going to stick with each other. We just have to stay upbeat and grind away every week."

I searched really hard but think I've come up w/ a positive for #49ers today: Jerome Simpson looks pretty good. Leads team in receiving yds.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 1, 2015