Cleveland Browns: If healthy, Terrelle Pryor must step up in final two games

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor has struggled as of late, and must step up in the final two games if the team has any chance of winning a game.

Sunday’s loss in Buffalo was Terrelle Pryor‘s fifth consecutive game without a touchdown. It is hard to solely blame him for this, as the Cleveland Browns’ offense is slowly dying as the season goes on, but he needs to find a way to make an impact in the final two games.

But that may be difficult given some recent injury news involving Pryor.

WR @TerrellePryor injured his finger in the second half of #CLEvsBUF. His progress this week will be monitored.

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 19, 2016

The injury may explain why he struggled at the end of Sunday’s game, but it does not excuse his performance as a whole.

One week after being shut down by Adam Jones, Pryor followed that up with several drops against the Bills. Injured finger or not, he needs to be better. His four receptions for 19 yards is not helping his cause when asking for a major extension this offseason.

The problem with his recent performances is that the spotlight is now on Pryor after how vocal he has been this season. It is clear he wants to help the Browns be a better team, and that is admirable, but he needs to prove it on the field too.

The problem could be related to Robert Griffin III, who has not helped his receivers in his last two starts. His accuracy is lacking, evident by several throws on Sunday that bounced in front of receivers.

Regardless, Pryor is still dropping passes, and that is a problem. A few catches on Sunday may not have made a difference, but it could make a difference in the final two games. If Griffin continues to be awful and is pulled for Cody Kessler, Pryor needs to be the number one target for the rookie. And to give the offense a semblance of efficiency, mistakes cannot be made. Passes cannot be dropped.

Fans in Cleveland should be rooting for Terrelle Pryor. He cares about this team and he cares about winning. But all that matters in sports is the winning part, and he needs to do more to contribute to that effort. Perhaps the play-calling must improve or Griffin must be taken out of the lineup, but no matter what happens, Pryor must find a way to make an impact on Sunday and prevent the Browns from a certain 0-16 record if they head to Pittsburgh at 0-15.