The Raiders aren’t saying who their quarterback will be in Week 12, but coach Dennis Allen did admit that Matt McGloin’s first start went well enough that he’ll be in consideration for a second one.
McGloin completed 18-of-32 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-23 victory over the Texans, joining Todd Marinovich as the only rookies with three or more touchdowns and no interceptions in their first NFL starts. According to Allen, giving the Raiders production through the air that they hadn’t gotten from Terrelle Pryor in recent weeks “certainly earned [McGloin] the right to be in the discussion for the starting job in the weeks to come.
The condition of Pryor’s sprained knee will be a factor in any decision that Allen winds up making, but the thoughts of Raiders players when it comes to the quarterback won’t be taken into much consideration.
“They don’t always agree with the decisions I make,” Allen said, via Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group. " ... You’ve seen where guys have rallied behind Terrelle Pryor as the starting quarterback and played well with him in there. Then, you saw how our guys responded with Matt McGloin in there. I really don’t see that as being an issue.”
If Pryor’s knee isn’t ready, Allen will have an easy choice to make. If Pryor is healthy, he’ll have to decide whether McGloin gives the team their best chance to win and the increased potency of the passing game is a big vote in the rookie’s favor.