Report: Joe Webb Will Start For Vikings, Christian Ponder Inactive

Usually when a quarterback has an amazing game the previous Sunday and doesn’t suffer a massive injury in that game, all injury reports the following week are sort of ignored. That’s been the case for Christian Ponder this week, as he’s showed up on the injury report all week and has been limited in practice.

But while we all chalked this up to the usually injury  hubbub, the injury seems to actually be serious — so serious that Joe Webb wil have to start as Ponder will be inactive  for tonight’s Wild Card showdown at Lambeau Field.

Prior to Ponder’s amazing game against the Packers in Week 17, Vikings fans has been clamoring for a quarterback change and had been chanting Joe Webb’s name for weeks. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but Vikings fans may be finally unwillingly getting their wish in perhaps the biggest game of the Leslie Frazier era.

Vikings fans asked, and now they’re receiving: Joe Webb could be leading the Vikings into a  playoff battle in Lambeau. It could be defended that the more mobile Webb could add an extra aspect to the Vikings offense, and the more chumbolone-ish Vikings fans will be having fantasies of of Colin Kaepernick type take over. However, Webb’s started with Peterson as running back before and the result was drafting Christian Ponder, so that debate has been settled.

Minnesota Vikings beat writer Tom Pelissero noted that Ponder might have been able play through the injury, but his lack of first team reps in practice this week was very concerning.

From Pelissero’s report:

"The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback is dealing with elbow bursitis — a buildup of fluid that may need to be drained before Saturday night’s NFC wild-card playoff game against Green Bay. An NFL source said Ponder should be able to play with the injury, which generally is treated with rest but may take weeks to fully heal. The bigger concern may be his limited practice reps this week."

With Webb in the game over Ponder, the game has changed significantly on both sides. Webb and Ponder are two drastically different quarterbacks, and Adrian Peterson’s value for the Vikings tonight just went through the roof. On the upside, the Packers may not have been fully preparing for Webb all week long, and throwing him in at the last minute might end up working to the Vikings advantage.

Only time will tell if the Webb the Vikings have spun will end up catching the Packers off guard or if it ends up sinking their season so soon after it was re-inflated.

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