{
  "id": 2349723,
  "title": "‘Ty Simpson wouldn’t do this’ – How NFL fans reacted to Fernando Mendoza’s latest Raiders outing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/ty-simpson-wouldnt-do-this-how-nfl-fans-reacted-to-fernando-mendozas",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T09:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ty-simpson-wouldn-t-nfl-093000812.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Thursday night, the Las Vegas Raiders faced the Houston Texans, with 22-year-old rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza making his second NFL appearance for the team. The preseason game ended with a 22-20 victory for the Raiders, but it served as a crucial learning experience for Mendoza. Mendoza shared playing time with Aidan O’Connell, as the Texans defense denied either quarterback from throwing a passing touchdown. The night belonged to Mendoza, who intercepted a pass thrown by Texans defender Wade Woodaz for a crucial touchdown. Mendoza's performance drew fierce reactions from NFL fans across the league. Some harsh comments included \"Mendoza is officially a bust!\" and \"Pretty much threw it right to him.\" Despite the criticism, Mendoza's character and resilience were praised, with one Los Angeles Rams fan stating, \"Ty Simpson wouldn’t do this.\" The final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers is just a week away, and Mendoza remains determined to improve and prove his worth to the Raiders.",
  "summary": "Fernando Mendoza played just his second game for the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday evening as they faced the Houston Texans. Following a promising debut last week in preseason, the game in Texas certainly provided Mendoza with a reality check.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Fernando Mendoza's 2nd preseason game begins poorly as he throws a pick-6 on 1st series",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/fernando-mendozas-2nd-preseason-game-begins-poorly-as-he-throws-a",
        "published": "2026-08-21T00:36:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}