The 2013 NFL season gets underway on Thursday night with AFC West heavyweight Denver Broncos opening up the season against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
As for the Oakland Raiders, the season will begin on Sunday against Andrew Luck’s Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
With the Raiders nearing the season opener on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium, the quarterback situation continues to be a hot topic in Oakland. Head coach Dennis Allen has been reluctant to named Terrelle Pryor or Matt Flynn the starter under center and as a result has both quarterbacks dubbed as the starter for Sunday.
Although Flynn may ultimately get the start, the Colts’ coaching staff is anticipating facing Pryor and his versatile skill set. Head coach Chuck Pagano talked about potentially facing Pryor and the challenges that will provide for the Indianapolis defense via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com:
“The guy is an excellent athlete,” Pagano said. “We know that he’s a big, strong guy who is incredibly mobile. He can create, can make all the throws and launch one a country mile.”
At this point in time, the writing appears to be on the wall in Oakland with Pryor being the starting quarterback moving forward. The Colts and the rest of the league knows this, but Allen wants the competitive edge of having uncertainty heading into Week 1. Pagano isn’t buying it and knows Pryor will be under center and will pose some problems for the Colts saying the following via Bair:
“We definitely have our hands full.”
The Raiders will head into this week’s matchup against the Colts as underdogs regardless of who will be the starting quarterback. It’s hard to make a case that Flynn is the better option under center, but Allen may roll the dice and put the veteran out there last minute or at some point in the contest.
