Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor was easily one of the biggest surprises of the NFL’s opening weekend. His team lost to the Indianapolis Colts, but most people envisioned the former Ohio State star struggling far more than he did and allowing the Colts to cover a 9.5-point spread with ease. Instead, Pryor actually flashed some playmaking ability.
Pryor threw two interceptions (one early on) in his second career NFL start. However, he threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and managed 112 yards rushing. Despite a performance that was far more impressive than anticipated, Pryor described his play in the 21-17 loss as “awful.”
“I could’ve helped win the game and didn’t,” Pryor said, according to CSNBayArea.com. “We had ‘em on the ropes and we didn’t knock them out. The record is all that matters to me. I don’t care what my numbers are. I just want to do well for the team, and I didn’t do well enough. What happened today was unacceptable, and that’s on me.”
You can’t fault the 24-year-old for wanting to win. Quarterbacks are expected to lead their teams no matter what the circumstances, and Pryor showed an ability to do that on the road against a team that made the playoffs last season. As long as he can keep his emotions in check and avoid opening himself up to criticism by sulking after losses like Cam Newton, the Raiders could be better than expected.
“Please don’t write this as cocky because it’s not,” Pryor, who reportedly cried after the loss, said. “Anytime I get on the field, I feel like I’m the best player out there and that my team is going to have a chance to win. That’s my job. I need to get the ball into the right hands and make plays. We have to get better. I know I do.”
Fans shouldn’t expect their quarterback to be satisfied with a close loss, and Pryor seems to understand that. He’s going to have plenty of rough games, but no one expected him to play as well as he did. A performance like that should boost his confidence.
