Christian Ponder did not practice today in London for the Minnesota Vikings as they continue their preparation for their matchup with Pittsburgh Sunday, and a CT scan Monday revealed a fractured rib, Leslie Frazier said this morning.
Frazier said he feels it’s to risky to play Ponder in the Vikings’ quest to get in the win column Sunday, leading him to name Matt Cassel the starter.
Christian Ponder has a fractured rib and is out. Frazier said Ponder had CT scan on Monday. Felt too risky to play him
— Chip Scoggins (@chipscoggins) September 27, 2013
The last time Cassel threw a regular season pass was for the Kansas City Chiefs in a 28-6 loss to Cincinnati, a game in which he was pulled at halftime for Brady Quinn. This preseason, Cassel was 22 of 40 passing, with a touchdown and interception apiece.
Cassel remains the Vikings’ only option as of now with Ponder ailing, but reports are circling that The Purple are interested in Tampa Bay’s recently benched Josh Freeman, who will sit Sunday and watch Mike Glennon do the job that has been his for the better part of five seasons.
Freeman was a 2010 Pro Bowler, but has been anything but serviceable since, throwing 42 interceptions while winning just 11 of his last 34 starts.
