The Oakland Raiders clearly missed Terrelle Pryor on Sunday as the team lost to the Washington Redskins in a game that was closer than the score indicates. Matt Flynn got the start at quarterback after Pryor was ruled out, still suffering from concussion symptoms. While Flynn got off to a hot start, his mistakes played the largest part in the Raiders' loss.
Raiders Nation let their feeling be heard on Sunday, pouring boos down on Flynn after he recorded his second costly turnover of the day. Flynn's day included a pick six and fumble in the fourth quarter that allowed Washington to take a double-digit lead on the team. If Flynn's job as a backup was not already a guarantee, his performance on Sunday made the spot permanent.
"Matt didn't play well and we have to move on. We have to get better from that," head coach Dennis Allen said, via the team website. "Obviously, I don't think he saw the field very good today. I think he was obviously part of some of the sacks that we gave up in the game. It was a tough situation for him to go in to and obviously, with the loss of McFadden and Reece that didn't help him out any. Offensively, we didn't get it done and that's really the bottom line."
Flynn was getting his first start of the season and he failed to take advantage of it. The quarterback finished the day going 21-of-32 in passing for 227 yards and one touchdown. Flynn was well-aware of the booing coming from the fans. He admitted it was hard not to hear their feelings and it certainly made playing tough.
"I feel like I had a really good week preparing and was ready for the game," Flynn said. "It's definitely frustrating when you don't go out there and get the production and execution you believe you've capable of. It's just tough out there; it was tough. Have to get better."
Flynn likely will not get the chance to improve. Allen told media that he is very hopeful Pryor will be the starter for the team's next game. At one point on Saturday it was thought that Pryor would be starting on Sunday, but the quarterback experienced concussion symptoms before the game and the Raiders opted to keep him out. Pryor is clearly the quarterback of the future and the Oakland decided to be cautious.
"We were actually at a point where we were ready to go with Terrelle," Allen said. "We visited with him one more time with the doctors, and we just didn't feel good about letting him play. It just wasn't the right thing to do, and we wanted to make sure we did right by him."
Pryor is expected to be under center against the Chargers next Sunday. Allen feels comfortable continuing with him as the starter and Flynn as the backup.
