One day after stating unequivocally that Christian Ponderis his quarterback, coach Leslie Frazier acknowledged that the Minnesota Vikings' starter for Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers is up in the air.
"Christian is still injured, but he's our starting quarterback," Frazier said Tuesday, adding that the rib injury could be exacerbated if Ponder takes a hit to the area or falls awkwardly.
The Vikings have a bye in Week 5. Ponder will be re-evaluated next Monday.
"It's hard to be concrete when you know Christian is dealing with an injury," Frazier added, "so we'll see what happens."
Although Frazier isn't ready to cut bait on Ponder, he offered praise for Matt Cassel's ability to avoid turnovers, as well as his acumen in checking out of the run against eight-man fronts.
If Ponder is deemed not ready to return, Cassel will get another opportunity to change the coaching staff's mind on a quarterback switch.
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