ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Terrelle Pryor will start at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night against the San Diego Chargers, coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday.

"He is symptom-free, so he's clear," Allen said.

Pryor sat out last week's 24-14 loss to Washington after having suffered a concussion six days earlier against Denver. He had passed the NFL's concussion protocol but was still exhibiting symptoms, such as sensitivity to light. As such, Allen said he chose to make him inactive and start Matt Flynn under center.

Flynn, acquired to be the franchise quarterback this offseason and paid $6.5 million, had a rough go of it against Washington in getting sacked seven times, fumbling twice and throwing a pick-six. He has been demoted to third string.

Undrafted rookie Matt McGloin is the new backup.

"Listen, it is what it is," Allen said. "It hasn't worked out like we anticipated and we've got to make decisions and we've got to move forward and continue to go, and [Flynn is] going to continue to battle and scratch and claw, and I still believe that he's a capable quarterback. But we're going to give McGloin a chance.

Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been cleared to return from his concussion and will start Sunday night against the Chargers. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

"I like what [McGloin] brings to the table, as far as his competitiveness. He's got some moxie to him. He just understands how to play the game. And I don't think it's too big for him. I think he'll come in, if he's called upon, to run the offense [and] I think he'll do a good job. He's smart, he throws an accurate ball, he's got good arm strength, he's good in decision-making. So I like what this kid has to work with."

Running back Darren McFadden, meanwhile, is still sidelined by a hamstring injury that prevented him from finishing last week's game.

McFadden initially got hurt in the first quarter of the loss to the Redskins and tried to come back later in the first half before shutting it down for the game. McFadden leads the Raiders with 215 yards rushing but has been hampered by a variety of injuries for his entire career.

He has missed 23 full games over his first five seasons because of injuries. While Allen said it is too early to know whether McFadden will miss this game, hamstrings are tricky injuries for running backs and the Raiders will likely be cautious.

"No real updates, nothing really to report,'' Allen said. "He's got a hamstring, and he's trying to rehab it and get out there as fast as he can.''

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.