Matt Cassel definitely passed the eye test in the Vikings’ 34-27 win over the Steelers in London. He went 16-25 for 248 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. But some big time pundits aren’t buying into the hype.
Pro Football Focus reacted to the game by claiming quarterback Matt Cassel wasn’t much better than Christian Ponder normally is. As PFF put it, “he didn’t make an overwhelming claim for the starting job based on his performance in London.”
PFF did note that Cassel saw pressure on only three of 27 dropbacks. Ponder has been pressured on 38 percent of his drops. The difference can be attributed to Cassel getting rid of the ball quicker.
Greg Rosenthal of NFL.com agreed, saying Cassel wasn’t as good as his numbers indicated, but at least he was “aggressive trying to throw the ball down the field.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, although impressed with Jared Allen’s 2.5 sacks on Ben Roethlisberger, gave the Steelers’ offensive line a failing grade for a dismal performance.
