Things were looking up for the Oakland Raiders after Terrelle Pryor was cleared to begin practicing on Thursday after suffering a concussion during Monday night football. The quarterback had been out after being on the wrong end of a helmet-to-helmet. After undergoing concussion tests, Pryor was cleared to resume football activities, but that might not mean he will play on Sunday.
Pryor's status against the Washington Redskins has been downgraded from questionable to unlikely to play. ESPN reports that the Raiders are not yet prepared to let the starter out on the field after he claimed to not remember much from the game. Pryor took to Twitter to let fans know he was sad about the loss, but honestly remembered very little from the game after the big hit. While Washington has said they are preparing to play Pryor, he might not see the field.
"We're preparing for Terrelle Pryor right now because he's listed as the starter," Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said, via the Washington Post. "If it's Matt Flynn that does come in, then that'll be something we adjust to. ...With Matt Flynn, you know what you're getting. You're getting more of a traditional pocket passer, whereas Terrelle Pryor does a number of things with his legs and his arm."
Kerrigan is right, Flynn is a much different quarterback than Pryor and he might see his first start of the season on Sunday. Originally signed to be the future of the Raiders' franchise, Flynn lost the starting spot and has been sitting on the bench through three weeks.
Flynn has taken all of the first-team offensive snaps throughout the week of practice. Putting him in as a starter could force the Raiders to change their offensive scheme some. While Pryor is more of a dynamic, read-option style of quarterback, Flynn is a traditional passer and works better inside the pocket. Flynn did not fare well in the preseason as he struggled behind a weak Raiders offensive line. He is not the most mobile quarterback, so when the pocket is collapsing Flynn has no options. This has caused some poor decision making.
The Redskins are favored in the matchup despite being winless on the season. NFL experts are urging people not to overlook the Raiders in this game. If Flynn plays well, he has the ability to expose the already weak defense.
