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The Vikings don't get much of a bump this week after hanging on to beat the No. 29 Pittsburgh Steelers at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, but they left London feeling much better about themselves following their first win of the season. It was the first time the Vikings -- who didn't win a game in which they lost the turnover battle last year -- didn't give the ball away, and Matt Cassel passed for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns in relief of Christian Ponder, who missed the game with a rib injury.

The Vikings' quarterback situation will be the hot topic during and after their bye week, with Cassel having posted a passer rating Sunday that was higher than any single-game rating Ponder has posted in his career. The Vikings might feel beholden to Ponder, whom they took 12th overall in the 2011 draft, but they need to take advantage of a schedule stretch that all of a sudden looks soft if they want to turn their season around. The Vikings' next five opponents -- Carolina, the New York Giants, Green Bay, Dallas and Washington -- have a combined 5-13 record this season. That group includes two of the past three NFC champions and two division winners from 2012, but if the Vikings can get themselves on track in time to catch those teams while they're reeling, they might be able to edge back into the playoff race in what has so far been a mediocre conference.

LONDON -- An examination of four hot issues following the Minnesota Vikings' 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Who's the QB? That will be the Vikings' big question during and after their bye week, as they prepare for their next game against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 13. Coach Leslie Frazier said Sunday, "If you're asking, our quarterback is Christian Ponder," even after Matt Cassel threw for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Vikings' first win of the season. Players such as Greg Jennings and Adrian Peterson have stood by Ponder in his struggles, but even those two seemed relieved to be praising, instead of defending, their quarterback after Sunday's win. Frazier will have to gauge how his team would react to a return to Ponder, and Cassel's struggles the past two years in Kansas City are proof he has had his own issues. But it will be interesting to see how Frazier navigates the next two weeks and how his players will react to whatever decision he makes.

Peterson emerges: The numbers would suggest Peterson hadn't played poorly in three games before Sunday -- he had still run for 281 yards in three games -- but the NFL's reigning MVP hadn't looked like himself until heading to London. With fullback Jerome Felton back, Peterson seemed more comfortable, romping for 140 yards in the Vikings' win. His 60-yard run in the first half was actually set up by quarterback-turned-receiver Joe Webb, who sealed off safety Troy Polamalu after seeing something on a previous play. "He came to me on the sideline," Peterson said. "He was telling me, 'Hey, on the 42 Lead, Troy [Polamalu], the safety, is cramming in, and he's shooting right down. So just trust me on being able to pin him in. You can get it outside.' And sure enough, the next time we caught it, it happened exactly the way he was playing."

Secondary struggles: The Vikings won, and they survived without Chris Cook and Jamarca Sanford, but those facts probably won't dampen concerns about their defensive backs after the Vikings allowed more than 300 yards passing for the third time in four weeks. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to throw on almost every play in the fourth quarter with Pittsburgh down 17, but he targeted second-year cornerback Josh Robinson throughout the game, and Robinson added a 48-yard pass interference penalty to the Steelers' production for the day after he grabbed Antonio Brown and put the ball at the Vikings' 1.

London calling ... again? This won't emerge as a front-burner topic for a while, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Vikings back in London before they open their new stadium in Minneapolis in 2016. Vikings players gushed about the accommodations the team had at The Grove Hotel in Watford, England, and Frazier spoke glowingly about the experience after the Vikings won at Wembley Stadium on Sunday and lifted a little pressure off themselves before their bye week. Before the game, team officials privately weren't keen on the idea of coming to London as the home team again and taking players out of their routine for a week in addition to giving up a home game. But it will be interesting to see if the Vikings have different feelings now that they've seen a week in London is manageable. Frazier is a big believer in settings like these, which encourage team bonding, and if the London trip emerges as a turning point in the season, you can bet the Vikings will consider doing it again. With the team at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium in 2014 and 2015, the NFL is likely to ask.

LONDON -- In their first three games, the Minnesota Vikings' defense has been vexed by quarterbacks who were often able to get rid of the ball quickly, either by dumping it off to a running back (Detroit's Matthew Stafford), finding holes in the Vikings' porous pass coverage (Cleveland's Brian Hoyer) or both (Chicago's Jay Cutler).

The Vikings had only nine sacks in three games, despite pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 43 dropbacks, according to ESPN Stats and Information. That was the 10th-best total in the league, but it only left the Vikings tied for 14th in sacks. A team that is at its best with pressure from its front four wasn't taking quartebacks down enough to protect the rest of its defense from looking vulnerable, and in their past two games, the Vikings were left stunned by quarterbacks who engineered last-minute comebacks.

That Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger -- who has led 25 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career, including one in Super Bowl XLIII -- wasn't able to pull the Pittsburgh Steelers even on Sunday night reflects mostly on the Vikings' defensive line. The group had four of the team's five sacks, including the final one from Everson Griffen that forced a game-sealing fumble, and harassed Roethlisberger throughout a game where the Steelers were forced to throw the ball 51 times.

Roethlisberger threw for 382 yards on Sunday night, burning cornerback Josh Robinson for large chunks of it, but he also threw 18 times in the fourth quarter as the Steelers tried to erase a 17-point deficit. The Vikings' pass rush helped create that deficit by getting to Roethlisberger enough early in the game to thwart the Steelers' drives.

"We kind of say when the rush and coverage matches up, that's when you make plays," safety Harrison Smith said. "The rush was there all night long. Still got to shore some things up on the back end, but ultimately it was enough to win."

The Vikings have major reasons to be concerned with their secondary, especially with Chris Cook and Jamarca Sanford out on Sunday night. Both could be back after the bye, but Roethlisberger picked on Robinson all night, and A.J. Jefferson has also struggled in coverage this season.

But Jared Allen devoured Steelers left tackle Mike Adams, and fought through some of the double-teams Pittsburgh started throwing at him later in the game. Sharrif Floyd shared a sack with Allen. Greenway got another one on a linebacker blitz, and Griffen, who hadn't had one in three games after entering the season with high expectations, made the biggest play of the game.

After the Vikings' offense had played it safe on third down and cost themselves the chance to put an opponent away for the third week in a row, Frazier turned to his defense. Fittingly enough, when Minnesota was reeling again, its pass rush was what had the last word.

"Our defense went out and did a great job," Frazier said. "I just did not believe that we were going to lose that game, even though we looked precarious at times."

LONDON -- For as much as the Minnesota Vikings talked about the inconvenience of giving up a home game to play in Wembley Stadium -- and as sour as they were about a 4,000-mile flight across the Atlantic after back-to-back last-minute collapses -- it was startling just how comfortable the Vikings looked on Sunday evening in London.

They got much of the support from the Brits in attendance, who joined with some 3,000 fans who bought tickets from the Vikings to drown out a hearty Steelers contingent that arrived with Terrible Towels in tow. The Vikings surged through a tunnel display built specifically for this game, with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" blasting like it always does at Mall of America Field. And for the first time this season, they adhered to the formula that worked so well for them during last season's surprising playoff run, with Adrian Peterson romping for 140 yards and the defensive line surging to protect an early lead, sacking Ben Roethlisberger four times and covering up for some of the considerable holes in the Vikings' secondary.

Though caveats must be issued for a performance that came against a dreadful Pittsburgh Steelers team, which nearly became the third team in as many weeks to score a last-minute TD against Minnesota, the Vikings looked for stretches like the team that went 10-6 last season. What was most striking was how seamlessly Matt Cassel fit into all that.

Cassel didn't officially find out he was starting against Pittsburgh until Friday, when Christian Ponder was ruled out with a broken rib, but it had looked increasingly obvious throughout the week that he would get the start against the Steelers. And in reality, things might have been building toward this for longer than that.

The Vikings signed Cassel to a two-year, $7.4 million deal in March to give themselves a veteran backup should anything happen to Ponder, but the move also provided some insurance if the third-year quarterback continued to be as ineffective as he was in the middle eight games of last season. Ponder threw five interceptions in the first three games -- poison to a team that didn't win a game where it lost the turnover battle last year -- and again looked too tentative to drive the ball into tight coverage and give his receivers a chance to make something happen.

Cassel did that on Sunday. Jerome Simpson's 51-yard catch in the second quarter began with a 17-yard strike from Cassel into the middle of the Steelers' defense on second-and-11, which allowed Simpson to catch the ball between two layers of the Steelers' defense and race upfield. Cassel made a quick, decisive throw on a hitch route to Greg Jennings in the first quarter, and Jennings did what he'd done so many times in Green Bay, turning away from a Steelers defender and stretching a 5-yard throw into a 70-yard touchdown. Cassel's 16-yard strike to Jennings for another touchdown came after he pumped twice, stood in the pocket and threw a dart to the receiver in front of Cortez Allen.

And then there's this: According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cassel went 7-for-10 against eight-man fronts, throwing for 77 yards and a touchdown. Ponder has a 58.1 career completion percentage against those fronts, and has never hit more than six throws in a game. The Steelers put eight men in the box more than any other team the Vikings have faced this season, and Cassel did what Ponder has often struggled to do: He took advantage of the matchups Peterson affords the Vikings' quarterback, and helped the Vikings generate an offense that looked surprisingly balanced.

Coach Leslie Frazier did his best to defuse a quarterback controversy before the Vikings' bye week, first saying, "If you're asking, our quarterback is Christian Ponder," before adding the coaching staff would "talk about a lot of things" during the bye and saying if he made a declaration now, he'd be betraying his normal, measured evaluation process in favor of a snap judgment born out of relief over a badly needed win.

"I don't know what I would base it on [now] other than what I've seen with the naked eye," Frazier said. "I'd have to look at the tape, look at our football team and then come back and evaluate what we need to do to come back a better team. That's what I base it on. I think it would be premature for me to say anything other than what I'm saying now."

The coach will have to consider how many players -- from Jennings to Simpson to Peterson -- talked about what a confident, commanding presence Cassel had in the huddle. He will have to weigh the fact that the Vikings' top two receivers had 216 yards and two TDs on Sunday after no Vikings receiver had scored all season. And he will have to weigh what it would mean to take the starting job away from a third-year quarterback the Vikings drafted 12th overall in 2011, believing they could rebuild their franchise around Ponder after their two-year run with Brett Favre ended in shambles.

Ponder seemed to grasp what Cassel's night could mean for him, saying "I have to pick up my play. That decision's out of my hands," and adding Cassel "played a tremendous game." And Simpson thought the performance could make Ponder "even hungrier to come back and be a better quarterback.

"He'll learn from it, and he sees somebody else coming into his position. I think it'll put even more fire up under him."

As well as Cassel played on Sunday night, though, it might not matter. The Vikings need wins, both to rescue their season and possibly to save Frazier's job, and while they've had other issues play into their three losses this season, Sunday was the first time they could legitimately talk about their quarterback play as something other than a liability.

Cassel has certainly had his issues -- he was benched and lost his own job last November in Kansas City -- but at least on Sunday, he was exactly what the Vikings needed. That might be enough to keep him in the middle of their plans for a while.

LONDON -- Observed in the locker room following the Minnesota Vikings' 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Frazier relieved: The relief on typically even-keeled Vikings coach Leslie Frazier's face was obvious after Minnesota avoided its third last-minute collapse in as many weeks. "I think I'll always have a special place in my heart for Wembley Stadium, along with London," Frazier said. "This has been a great week for our football team. And then to finish it with a win, I'm just so proud of our football team. So thank you, London." Frazier said the noise at Wembley -- helped both by 83,518 fans and the stadium's thumping sound system -- felt at times like a Vikings home game in Minnesota, and as big a believer as the coach is in experiences like this to help a team grow closer, he was clearly riding the energy of finishing the week with a win. "There's a sense of relief, for sure," Frazier said. "We've had some tough losses. For whatever reason it didn't work out for us. So to come away with a win in the fashion that we did, that many miles from home, I'm just so proud of our coaches to get these guys prepared."

Smith baffled by penalty: Safety Harrison Smith was flagged for unnecessary roughness after he hit Steelers tight end Heath Miller with his helmet in the second quarter, but Smith said he wasn't sure where else he could have hit Miller, knowing the veteran missed all but one game last year because of a knee injury. "As a player, as a fan, I know that," Smith said. "I don't want to hit him in the knee. I want to hit him in a good area. I tried to keep my head out of it. I didn't launch. I don't really know what else to do. There was a play later where I hit him lower, and I didn't want to do it, but I had to. I'm trying to win the game. I don't really know what else to do in that situation." It appeared Miller lowered his head on the collision, which left Smith with little area to work. "They've told us, 'Even if they lower their head, and you make contact with the helmet, that's a fine.' But that's pretty unreasonable, in my opinion."

High on Wembley: The Vikings were bound to feel better about their London experience after leaving with a win, but players were gushing about their experience at the massive stadium before leaving it on Sunday night. "I thought it was going to be split, maybe some NFL fans that came kind of for the show," Smith said. "But it really felt like a home game out there. There was a great crowd interaction and getting loud on third down, getting excited for us. It was quite a sight out there."

Receivers running after the catch: Matt Cassel threw for 248 yards in his debut with the Vikings, but he was helped by his receivers' ability to gain yards after the catch; Jerome Simpson turned a pass over the middle into a 51-yard gain, and Greg Jennings' first touchdown came on a 5-yard throw the receiver took 65 more for a score. "That's probably the best play in football for the quarterback," Cassel said. "It makes your job a lot easier. We preach on that, being strong with the ball, run after the catch and they did a great job."

LONDON -- My thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Wembley Stadium.

What it means: In short, the Vikings' season isn't over. They're 1-3 headed into their bye week, and where an 0-4 record would have killed their season, a win at least gives them a little life headed into their bye week. The game might have also prompted a quarterback change (more on that in a minute) after Matt Cassel led the Vikings to victory and the defense managed not to blow a late lead for the third week in a row.

Stock watch: Rising -- Cassel. In his first start for the Vikings, Cassel did more than fill in admirably for Christian Ponder, who missed the game with a rib injury. He might have made the Vikings think seriously about making a permanent switch at the position once they return from their bye week. Cassel hit 16 of his 25 throws for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He had the confidence to pull the trigger on throws over the middle that Ponder has been loath to attempt. He turned Greg Jennings into a factor, letting the receiver run after the catch on a quick throw that Jennings turned into a 70-yard touchdown. And Cassel was sacked once a week after the Cleveland Browns took Ponder down six times.

Peterson breaks out: Adrian Peterson had his best game of the season, romping for a 60-yard touchdown in the second quarter and gaining 140 yards to go with a pair of TDs. He looked more comfortable with Jerome Felton back, and Peterson got a key block from quarterback-turned-receiver Joe Webb, of all people, on the touchdown run. Peterson also helped the Vikings get an early lead, which was so important to the team in its 10-6 season last year.

Front four hassles Roethlisberger: The Vikings' pass rush had its best game of the season, with Jared Allen getting two sacks of his own and sharing a third with Sharrif Floyd, and Chad Greenway notching one on a blitz. Minnesota's depleted secondary had issues before injuries to Chris Cook and Jamarca Sanford, and Josh Robinson struggled at times on Sunday, but the Vikings' defense has always been about their pass rush getting enough pressure to mask any issues behind them. They were able to do that on Sunday, and with the Vikings in danger of allowing a last-minute touchdown for the third week in a row, Everson Griffen and Greenway sacked Ben Roethlisberger and forced a fumble that Kevin Williams recovered.

What's next: The Vikings get an early bye week after their long week in London before returning to Mall of America Field on Oct. 13 to take on the Carolina Panthers.

LONDON -- Hello from Wembley Stadium, where we're about an hour from kickoff between the Vikings and Steelers. We already knew four of the Vikings' seven inactives on Friday, with Chris Cook, Jamarca Sanford, Rhett Ellison and Christian Ponder out, and the absences of Cook and Sanford helped put a pair of defensive players -- veteran safety Mistral Raymond and rookie linebacker Gerald Hodges -- on the active game-day roster for the first time this season.

Raymond was one of the Vikings' two starting safeties at the beginning of last season, but a persistent ankle injury opened up a chance for Sanford to take his starting spot, which he hasn't given back. Now that Sanford is out with a hamstring injury, Raymond will at least have a chance to re-assert himself, though the fact Andrew Sendejo will start in Sanford's place probably shows how far Raymond has fallen in the Vikings' eyes.

Hodges, the Vikings' fourth-round draft pick, hasn't found his way onto the field yet. I'd expect to see him mostly on special teams today, where he'd likely join former Penn State teammate Michael Mauti.

In addition to Sanford, Cook, Ellison and Ponder, defensive linemen Chase Baker and George Johnson and guard Jeff Baca are inactive for the Vikings.

LONDON -- It was just about eight years ago that Daunte Culpepper had his last great game with the Vikings, and one of his last great days in the NFL. Culpepper threw for 300 yards on Sept. 25, 2005, passing for three touchdowns in a 33-16 Vikings win over the New Orleans Saints. But Culpepper tore his ACL just over a month later, and only started 20 NFL games in his next four seasons before turning up in the United Football League on his way to retirement.

Culpepper's exit from Minnesota was punctuated by a lengthy dispute with coach Brad Childress over how the quarterback would rehab his knee injury, and his last game with the Vikings came in a season tainted by the Vikings' now-famous "Love Boat" scandal during their bye week. But Culpepper, now 36, said he has fond memories and no regrets about his time in Minnesota.

"All good memories," Culpepper said after the NFL International Series Fan Forum on Saturday. "I would have loved to stay there my whole career. That's just how it happens in the business sometimes. People move on. But my memories of Minnesota were excellent -- every game was sold out. We had some games I wish we could have won, but overall, it was a positive experience for me. The fans were absolutely wonderful."

Culpepper reportedly lost his 10,000-square foot home in South Florida to foreclosure last summer, and opened a restaurant near his alma mater (Central Florida) soon after. The restaurant -- a sports bar named Culpepper's -- was a nine-month project before it opened, the quarterback said, and he's spending the rest of his time with his wife and children in Florida.

He threw 39 touchdowns -- still a Vikings single-season record -- the year before he injured his knee, and finished as MVP runner-up to Peyton Manning, forming one of the league's most dangerous deep-ball combinations with Randy Moss. Even on Saturday, Culpepper said he had chills recalling his favorite moments in the NFL: watching fans stand up in their seats while one of his 60-yard passes to Moss sailed through the air.

But Culpepper said he doesn't think back much to what happened after that 2004 season, when Moss was traded to Oakland and the quarterback injured his knee. Nor does he wonder what might have been had he stayed healthy.

He was even a good sport about the last question of the event, when a British fan in a Steelers jersey asked Culpepper if he'd be bringing any of his "friends" out for a cruise on the Thames River; Culpepper posed for a picture with the fan and his son afterward.

"I played the game the same way the whole time," he said. "I played to win. Whatever I had to do to try and win, I was going to do it. Every game I always wanted to be able to look myself in the mirror and say, 'Hey, I put everything out there.' I don’t regret anything about how I played the game."

As exports go, sending the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers to London this weekend probably wasn't what the NFL had in mind.

Both teams are 0-3. The Vikings have the second-most turnovers in the NFL (10), and the Steelers are third with nine turnovers. Pittsburgh has yet to force a turnover on defense, and the Vikings gave up last-minute touchdowns the last two weeks in losses to the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.

And yet, one of these teams will likely head back across the Atlantic Ocean with a win on Sunday. The other will probably have to say goodbye to their already-slim playoff hopes, so there's plenty on the line in London on Sunday. To set up the game, ESPN.com Vikings reporter Ben Goessling and Steelers reporter Scott Brown got together to break things down:

Ben Goessling: Well, Scott, I don't think this is what either of us expected this game to be -- both of these teams, badly in need of a win, looking lost as they head over to London. For me, the most surprising thing with the Vikings has been how much trouble they've had getting Adrian Peterson going.

He's clearly missed fullback Jerome Felton (who's back this week) and he's admitted to trying to do too much on a number of runs. I think Peterson gets going this week as he follows Felton's lead, but I can't say I expected him to have only three runs longer than 10 yards through three games. What has surprised you most about how the Steelers have struggled?

Scott Brown: Ben, to put the Steelers' running game into perspective, consider this: Their leading rusher, Felix Jones, has 71 yards, or seven yards fewer, than Peterson had on his first carry of the season. As bad as the running game, and the offense in general, has been, I am most surprised that the defense hasn't made more of what coach Mike Tomlin calls splash plays, especially since Troy Polamalu is healthy and has looked terrific. In addition to their lack of takeaways, the Steelers have yet to force a turnover.

Takeaways have been an issue since 2011, and the Steelers have to find a way to force turnovers if they want to have any chance of turning their season around. Speaking of defensive issues, the Vikings have been atrocious against the pass. Is this a get-well game for Ben Roethlisberger?

Goessling: Yes, I think it could be, especially considering how many issues the Vikings appear to have in their secondary. Chris Cook, Jamarca Sanford and A.J. Jefferson are all in some danger of missing the game Sunday, which would likely leave Josh Robinson and Marcus Sherels as the starters, and Xavier Rhodes as the only other healthy corner on the roster.

I've always thought Roethlisberger is one of the league's best at exposing a suspect secondary, since he can extend plays and force defensive backs to stick on their receivers longer than they should need. As effortlessly as everyone has been able to throw on the Vikings so far, I don't see why Sunday's game should be much different.

Let's switch sides of the ball. If Christian Ponder plays -- and that appears to be in at least some doubt now that he has a rib injury -- he'll have to properly diagnose the Steelers in their 3-4 defense. As hesitant as Ponder can be sometimes, is this a chance for the Steelers to put some heat on a quarterback?

Brown: Dick LeBeau will try to confuse Ponder, and the longtime defensive coordinator has traditionally tormented young quarterbacks who struggle to figure out where the Steelers are blitzing from and when they are sending an extra pass-rusher. The best thing the Vikings can do for Ponder, or whoever plays quarterback, is to win on first and second down.

They have just the player who can help them do that and keep them out of third and long in Peterson. He is the best running back on the planet and he is catching the Steelers at a time when their run defense looks vulnerable.

The Steelers are giving up 115.3 rushing yards per game, which is exceedingly high for a team that has finished among the NFL’s top three rushing defenses 13 of the past 19 seasons. They yielded 5.4 yards per carry last Sunday night to Chicago’s Matt Forte. Forte is a good back, but he is no Peterson. Ben, here is my final question for you: What has to happen for the Vikings to win?

Goessling: Peterson has to have a big day. They haven't had a game yet this year where he's been able to take control of things, and if he can do that Sunday, that'd be a huge help to whomever the Vikings quarterback will be. My hunch is Ponder's injury will be just bad enough -- or it will at least be portrayed as such -- to make Matt Cassel the starter, but regardless of the quarterback, the Vikings need Peterson to do what he did last year.

They've also got to cut out the turnovers. Their own 10 turnovers have washed out their defensive productivity in that area, and on a couple occasions, the Vikings have given the ball back right after their defense took it away. That can't happen against a defense that hasn't forced one yet. What's the key for the Steelers to come away from London with their first victory?

Brown: Contain Peterson. I don’t think it is realistic to shut him down, but the Steelers need to put the Vikings in enough third-and-long situations where they can really go after Ponder or Cassel. They also need to generate a couple of takeaways.

The offense also has to build on the positives it produced last Sunday night against the Bears when it gained 459 total yards. Yes, the five turnovers were a killer but I also think the generosity displayed by Roethlisberger (two lost fumbles and two interceptions) was also an anomaly. If the Steelers protect the ball and take it away here and there from the Vikings, I think they win.

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WATFORD, England -- The second-to-last time Matt Cassel started a game for the Kansas City Chiefs, it was a rainy Monday night in November in Pittsburgh. Cassel dropped back from the Chiefs' 19 in overtime, looking for receiver Dwayne Bowe on second-and-6. The Steelers' Lawrence Timmons undercut Cassel's floating pass, returning it to the Chiefs' 5 and setting up a game-winning field goal on the next play.

Cassel was benched at halftime in the Chiefs' next game, effectively ending his time as the starting quarterback there and closing a road that first opened when Bernard Pollard injured Tom Brady's knee in the first game of the 2008 season. Cassel was released by the Chiefs in March, and he signed with the Vikings as a backup quarterback and insurance policy in case anything should happen to Christian Ponder.

The Vikings were among the first teams to show interest in Cassel, and he was on the market for about a day before he agreed to a deal with Minnesota. Cassel had to know that Ponder's tenuous status gave him his best chance to play quickly, even as the Vikings maintained Ponder was their starting quarterback.

Officially, it was an injury to Ponder that put Cassel in line to start Sunday against the Steelers, but it could be Ponder's ineffectiveness that will keep Cassel there.

Ponder, who will miss Sunday's game with a fractured rib, said he expects to return for the Vikings' next game against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 13, and he'll have the benefit of a bye week to heal up. Coach Leslie Frazier said Friday that "I don't foresee a quarterback controversy" going forward, but if Cassel plays well enough to get the Vikings their first win, how could there not be one?

Frazier, in all likelihood, is in a make-or-break year as the Vikings' coach after ownership decided to pick up his 2014 option -- and not offer him a contract extension -- following Minnesota's surprising 10-6 season in 2012. He has stood by Ponder through three games in which the quarterback threw five interceptions to two touchdowns, and the injury offered Frazier a chance to give Cassel a look before the bye week.

It was striking to hear several Vikings receivers -- Greg Jennings among them -- talk about Cassel's commanding presence in the huddle, and if he can stoke a victory Sunday, Frazier would have to give serious thought to sticking with the quarterback who's gotten him a win in a year when he needs a bunch of them.

On the other hand, there's ideology playing in Ponder's favor. The Vikings picked him 12th overall in 2011 -- higher than many people expected him to go, at a point where Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman both had a significant say in personnel decisions. Ponder was the choice of both men, ahead of quarterbacks such as Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick, and his playing well would mean Frazier and Spielman were correct on a pick they badly needed to get right.

The Vikings have had an impressive run of first-round picks in recent years -- Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith in 2012, Percy Harvin in 2009, Adrian Peterson in 2007, Chad Greenway in 2006 -- but misses on quarterbacks have organizational consequences. They can set a franchise back years and can cost decision-makers their jobs.

A team that gambled on Ponder has been patient about waiting for a return on its investment, but Cassel could force the Vikings to think about whether patience is still the right course of action, especially with Frazier needing to win now.

If Cassel plays poorly Sunday and the Vikings fall to 0-4, the decision might be an easy one: Give Ponder the rest of the season to settle the question, one way or another, once and for all. At that point, Spielman could refer to his three-year rule on evaluating quarterbacks and cleanly determine whether Ponder gets more time or whether the Vikings should move on.

But if Cassel jolts a staggering passing game and the Vikings head home from London with a win? Then things get interesting. Against the team that helped seal his fate last year, Cassel might give himself another chance.

WATFORD, England -- Along with quarterback Christian Ponder, the Vikings ruled out defensive backs Chris Cook and Jamarca Sanford for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving their secondary thin heading into a game that they probably need to win in order to keep their season from careening off course.

The Vikings will likely keep rookie Xavier Rhodes at his left cornerback spot in the nickel -- coach Leslie Frazier said earlier this week the Vikings don't want to take him out of his routine there -- but it remains to be seen whether A.J. Jefferson or Marcus Sherels will get more work at Cook's right cornerback spot in the base defense. Jefferson injured his ankle shortly after Browns receiver Josh Gordon caused him to bite hard on a double move on the way to a 47-yard touchdown last week, and Sherels was serviceable in the base defense once Jefferson didn't return.

After Sanford left last week, safety Andrew Sendejo took his place, with Mistral Raymond de-activated for the game. It stands to reason both players will be active on Sunday, and though Sendejo will likely get more snaps than Raymond, this could be an opportunity for Raymond -- who was a starter last year before an ankle injury opened the door for Sanford -- to reassert himself.

In any case, the Vikings could have their hands full against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose MO has long been to hold the ball, extend plays and burn cornerbacks who can't stick with their receivers for six or seven seconds. Roethlisberger's receiving group is depleted, and his battered offensive line could have its hands full with Jared Allen and company, but if the quarterback can stay upright, he might be able to find some big plays downfield against the Vikings' depleted secondary.

In other Vikings injury news:

• We discussed Ponder's status here, and will have more in a little bit on what it means for Matt Cassel and the Vikings' plans at the QB position.
• Tight end Rhett Ellison will miss his second straight game with a hyperextended knee.
• Running back Matt Asiata (hamstring) returned to full participation as did defensive tackle Kevin Williams (knee). Both are probable for Sunday.
• Long snapper Cullen Loeffler (neck) and LB Erin Henderson (heel) participated in full, and are probable.
• Running back Adrian Peterson was back at work after being limited because of a coach's decision on Thursday. That offers further confirmation that the Vikings were trying to get him a break -- and in light of their quarterback situation, they need him ready for a heavy workload on Sunday.

WATFORD, England -- It appears Christian Ponder won’t start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Ponder was not throwing or wearing a helmet in the portion of practice open to reporters on Friday morning in England, indicating he will likely miss Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the rib injury that has limited him in practice all week. Instead, it appears backup quarterback Matt Cassel will start for the Vikings at Wembley Stadium.

Ponder’s status has been uncertain all week; the quarterback had indicated he would be able to play with the injury, pointing out he finished the game after getting hit early last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and saying on Thursday he felt fine throwing with extra padding on his ribs. The one unknown, Ponder said, was how he would handle contact, but without an opportunity to simulate that in practice, the quarterback’s status would be left up to the Vikings’ training staff and coach Leslie Frazier.

Even if Ponder was completely healthy, one could argue the Vikings were nearing a change at quarterback. The former first-round pick has thrown five interceptions against just 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. He could regain his starting status after the Vikings’ bye week, depending on what happens with Cassel on Sunday, but it’s also possible the Vikings would use the opportunity to move in a different direction.

The Vikings signed Cassel to a two-year, $7.4 million contract in March after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman said at the time that 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, and he led the New England Patriots to a 10-6 record that season. 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.

“We signed Matt Cassel for occasions like this, if something were to happen to Christian,” Frazier said on Thursday.

Now, it seems the coach will get his chance to see where Cassel can take the Vikings.

WATFORD, England -- One of the more impressive moments of Greg Jennings' season so far, at least in the eyes of coach Leslie Frazier, came after Jennings had three catches for 33 yards in the Vikings' season-opening loss in Detroit.

Jennings was in Frazier's office after the game, rehashing the 34-24 loss to the Lions, which came in spite of a breakout performance from receiver Jerome Simpson, who caught seven passes for 140 yards that day.

“He was in my office after the Detroit game, first game of the season, and we were talking,” Frazier said. “[Jennings told me],'There was a moment in the game where I said, ‘Man, I wouldn’t mind if I got this play called or that play called for myself.’ And then I thought about it, and I said, ‘I’m happy for Jerome. This is good for our team.’ That’s unique, for a guy who has achieved what he has achieved, and you sign a contract to come here. He wants his teammates to succeed, but ultimately, he wants the team to succeed.”

For a receiver who signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract with the Vikings in March with expectations he'd be the top passing threat, the first three games have been a bit humbling for Jennings. He's got a modest 11 catches for 160 yards, and has only been targeted with 19 passes in the Vikings' first three games -- three fewer targets than he got in his first three games with the Green Bay Packers last year.

As we've discussed somewhat, Jennings did his best work in Green Bay on back-shoulder throws, seam routes and crossing routes, which require a bit more precision and confidence from his quarterback than we've seen from Ponder so far. Ponder found him in a soft spot in the Browns' zone defense last week, but part of the reason things have worked with Simpson might be that Ponder has more confidence in his ability to throw deep -- which doesn't demand that a quarterback be quite as precise -- than he does in his ability to fit the ball in tight windows. According to Pro Football Focus, Jennings has gained his most yards on throws over the middle in each season from 2008 to 2012. This year, he's actually been more productive outside the numbers, and Ponder has only targeted him four times on throws between the numbers of less than 10 yards, which was where Jennings thrived in Green Bay.

For you Packers fans in the audience, some of this might feel like Jennings getting his comeuppance after he tossed barbs at Aaron Rodgers through the spring and summer. But while that part of Jennings' transition to the Vikings has bugged Frazier, the coach called Jennings "the ultimate team guy" on Thursday, and made an interesting comment when the Star Tribune's Mark Craig asked him about how Jennings compares to other receivers he's coached.

"His personality is one where, he's not the typical superstar and he wants it to be about him," Frazier said. "A lot of wide receivers -- you've covered them, Mark -- they really like things to go through them. That can be a high-maintenance group."

Hmm ... we can probably assume Frazier wasn't talking about Bobby Wade or Michael Jenkins.

Anyway, Jennings was similarly introspective when recalling his conversation with Frazier on Thursday, talking about how pride can be corrosive to a team and how he needed to guard against it. Maybe he thought that was an issue for himself, or Rodgers, or someone else in Green Bay, or maybe he's just saying the right things now.

We'll see where things go from here -- Jennings made an interesting comment on Thursday about Matt Cassel being more assertive than Ponder in the huddle, but attributed that to Cassel having more experience, and he's stuck by Ponder so far. What's clear so far, though, is that Frazier is happy with how Jennings is finding ways to help the receiver group at the moment, even if he's not posting huge numbers in the Vikings' offense.

WATFORD, England -- Defensive back Chris Cook didn't practice again for the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, walking out to the team's practice field in England without pads, and the possibility of the cornerback missing Sunday's game seems to be increasing.

Cook left last Sunday's game early with a groin strain, and he had a groin injury in the Vikings' third preseason game against San Francisco. He was hopeful he would be able to practice on Friday, but if he can't, the Vikings would likely rule him out for Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"The fact that he's not able to practice today leads you to believe it may be difficult tomorrow," Frazier said. "He wants to try tomorrow, so we'll see."

The Vikings got safety Jamarca Sanford and cornerback A.J. Jefferson back at practice in a limited capacity on Thursday, but it remains to be seen if they'd have either player healthy on Sunday. Frazier said the Vikings would likely have to add a cornerback to their roster if Cook and Jefferson were both out, since they would only have three healthy cornerbacks in that scenario. The easiest move -- especially considering the team is in London -- would be to elevate Robert Steeples from the practice squad, but general manager Rick Spielman said yesterday that assistant GM George Paton is still in Minnesota to give the Vikings a front-office member in the U.S. this week in case they needed to make a roster move, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that the Vikings could sign someone and fly him to England for Sunday's game.

Looking at the rest of the Vikings' injury report:

• Quarterback Christian Ponder was limited again because of his rib injury, but backup Matt Cassel said Ponder did the majority of the work on Thursday, and Ponder said he was comfortable playing with extra padding on his ribs. We've got more on that situation here.
• Running back Adrian Peterson was limited because of a coach's decision on Thursday, but Frazier has built in breaks for the running back before, and it's probably safe to assume that's what happened here, especially since if Peterson had an injury, it would be listed on the injury report.
• Running back Matt Asiata (hamstring) returned to full participation on Thursday.
• Tight end Rhett Ellison (knee) was out of practice again.
• Defensive tackle Kevin Williams (knee) was limited, and linebacker Erin Henderson (heel) and long snapper Cullen Loeffler (neck) were again full participants.

LONDON -- Aside from Christian Ponder being limited in practice for the Vikings on Wednesday, the team was still without its three defensive backs -- Chris Cook, Jamarca Sanford and A.J. Jefferson -- who were injured during last Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Browns.

All three players did not practice on Wednesday, and it remains to be seen how many of them will be available on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Wembley Stadium. If the Vikings' depth is limited, coach Leslie Frazier said he would likely stick with the same arrangement the Vikings used last Sunday, playing Marcus Sherels and Josh Robinson in the base defense and using rookie Xavier Rhodes as the left cornerback in the team's nickel package. But Frazier, again, admitted the Vikings' cornerback depth is a concern.

Whether Antoine Winfield could be a solution to that problem remains to be seen. General manager Rick Spielman would not address whether the Vikings have had any conversations with Winfield about coming out of retirement, adding, "I can't rule anything out. You never know."

Here is the rest of the Vikings' injury report:

• Tight end Rhett Ellison, who missed last Sunday's game with a hyperextended knee, also sat out of practice.
• Ponder was limited in practice because of a rib injury, with Matt Cassel taking some of his reps in practice.
• Running back Matt Asiata (hamstring) and defensive tackle Kevin Williams (knee) were also limited.
• Linebacker Erin Henderson (heel) and long-snapper Cullen Loeffler (neck) practiced in full.