5 Takeaways from Matt McGloin's Latest Start for the Oakland Raiders
He didn't win for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, losing 37-27 to the New York Jets. However, Matt McGloin has shown some signs that maybe, just maybe, he's actually the right guy in Oakland.
Even though he was somehow relieved in the first quarter for Terrelle Pryor, McGloin finished the day completing 18-of-31 passes for 245 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 20 yards on two carries, the longest being a 20-yard scamper up the middle of the field, making a few Jets' defenders miss, one of them being safety Ed Reed.
But despite the loss, he continues to show some signs of improvement, alongside rookie mistakes.
Here's five things I noticed about the Scranton, Pa. native on Sunday.
Still a Better Passer Than Pryor
1 of 5
In the end, the quarterback still has to be a solid passer of the football. McGloin showed that he could lead a team downfield, throwing from the pocket as he completed around 60 percent of his passes for the fourth straight game. He's showing improvement in his passing game week-by-week since taking the job in Houston.
McGloin went 18-of-31 on the day for 245 yards and two touchdowns, his first multi-touchdown game since Week 11 in Houston.
His pair of touchdown strikes, a 48-yard strike to Rod Streater (or a miracle, depending how you see it) and a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mychal Rivera on 4th-and-goal in the game's final minutes, put McGloin ahead of Terrelle Pryor in the touchdown category with six. Pryor has five.
McGloin also has a higher touchdown-to-interception ratio, 6-3, or 2-1, compared to Pryor's 1-2 (5-10).
It took Pryor eight games to get to his current 1,579 yards passing total, whereas McGloin is already at 1,044 after just four games, averaging about 239 yards passing per game. If he continues at this rate, he'll surpass Pryor by the end of the season.
He Can Run When Needed
2 of 5
Mobility is where Terrelle Pryor definitely has the upper hand between the two Raider quarterbacks, but McGloin flashed a few moves of his own. He made both David Harris and Ed Reed miss him on a 20-yard run to open the fourth quarter and get Oakland into scoring range at the Jets' 25.
He won't look to run first, but it's good to know that he's somewhat mobile and can make something happen with his feet if needed.
The 20-yard scamper is his longest of the season.
He'll Make Rookie Mistakes Like Throwing Picks
3 of 5
Although he's done a decent job passing the ball for the Raiders, McGloin's still prone to rookie mistakes. He threw an interception to Jets' safety Ed Reed with the Raiders trying to work out of their own end zone in the second quarter.
The defense held the Jets to a field goal, however these kind of things will happen with rookie quarterbacks. In time, hopefully, he'll learn that passing windows in the NFL stay open for a very short time, and wily veterans like Reed will take advantage of young quarterbacks.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
He'll Throw Picks, Yet Still Take Chances
4 of 5
After throwing an interception earlier in the game against the Jets, McGloin showed that he'll still take shots in the middle, this time finding Rod Streater on a 48-yard touchdown pass as two Jets collided.
It seems he originally tried to pass to tight end Jeron Mastrud on an inside route that was covered by the cornerback.
And Again, He'll Make Some "Rookie" Mistakes
5 of 5
Keep in mind; he's still a rookie. Let alone an undrafted rookie free agent who was originally meant to just be a camp arm.
McGloin had pair of fumbles Sunday, one on a botched shotgun snap and another when the ball just slipped out of his hands later in the game.
In short, there'll be times when he'll "drop the ball."
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
