Vikings' Christian Ponder ruled out
By Ben Goessling | ESPN.com
WATFORD, England -- Matt Cassel will start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Christian Ponder missing the game because of a fractured rib.
Ponder was injured on a hit in the second quarter last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and told the team's medical staff Monday he was feeling pain. Initially concerned he had a bruised lung and wouldn't be able to fly to England for the Vikings' game on Sunday, team trainers put Ponder through a CT scan that revealed the fracture.
But because the broken bone is so close to his heart, Ponder said, the Vikings made the decision to hold him out and avoid risking a more serious injury.
'We just made a decision, what's best for me and my health and for this team,' Ponder said. 'It stinks, but it is what it is, and I'll be back in for Carolina (on Oct. 13).'
Ponder will get a chance to heal during the Vikings' bye week. The former first-round pick has thrown five interceptions with two touchdown passes in three games, having an interception returned for a touchdown in a 31-30 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 2.
The Vikings signed Cassel to a two-year, $7.4 million contract in March after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman said at the time Ponder was the starting quarterback and Cassel was coming in to give the Vikings a veteran option in case something happened to Ponder. They were forced to start Joe Webb after an elbow injury kept Ponder out of a wild-card playoff game in Green Bay last January, and Webb completed just 11 of 30 passes for 180 yards in the loss.
Cassel, 31, emerged in the NFL after Tom Brady tore his ACL during the first week of the 2008 season, when Cassel led the New England Patriots to a 10-6 record. He reached the Pro Bowl and led the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2010, but injuries and ineffectiveness made him expendable after the Chiefs traded for Alex Smith last winter.
'I've been through it a lot, but at the same time, you still get those butterflies and everything,' Cassel said. 'I just found out this morning, right before practice. But at the same time, we've been preparing for this. I had a good week of practice. I feel like I'm ready to go.
ESPN Minnesota Vikings reporter
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