Kevin Hoffman- USA Today Sports
The Minnesota Vikings announced Friday morning that Matt Cassel will start at quarterback in Sunday’s game in against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Christian Ponder is struggling with a rib injury, so Minnesota is turning to the veteran backup that signed for this very purpose.
I’m glad Cassel is getting the chance to start a game for the Vikings because he’s had some success in the NFL, but his time with the Kansas City Chiefs ended terribly, and you had to feel for the guy. On the other hand, I still believe that if Ponder didn’t get hurt, the team wouldn’t have turned to Cassel at quarterback. Say what you will about Ponder, but the higher-ups believe in his ability and after selecting him with the 11th pick in the 2011 Draft, they want to ensure that they’ve given him every chance to prove himself.
Cassel has two main objectives for Sunday’s game other than helping the Vikings win the game: don’t turn the ball over and take shots down the field. These are two things Ponder has struggled to do as quarterback and if Cassel is able to do them, Minnesota has a good chance of defeating Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Barring a setback in Ponder’s recovery from the rib injury, this could be Cassel’s only start of the season, and he’s going to do everything in his power to show people that he’s still a viable starting quarterback. Vikings fans should expect a solid game out of Cassel, but don’t expect him to come in and turn around Minnesota’s season.
Chris Schaeder is a contributing Vikings writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @schaederbaitor
