There is zero doubt about who will be the most important player in the Minnesota Vikings' backfield when they take the field against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Wild Card round: Adrian Peterson.
But who will be joining him?
An elbow injury had starting quarterback Christian Ponder listed as "questionable" on the Vikings' final injury report before the game. John Clayton of ESPN initially reported that "the quarterback is expected to play," but there was still no confirmation as the Texans and Bengals kicked off the opening Wild Card game on Saturday afternoon. If Ponder were unable to go, little-used, dual-threat quarterback Joe Webb would get the nod.
According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, the confusion even permeated the Vikings' locker room in the hours before the game.
When Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN heard the reports on Friday, he felt that there may be something more at play here than injury concerns.
Is Ponder's elbow really hurting bad enough from a second-quarter hit last Sunday from blitzing safety Morgan Burnett there is legitimate concern about whether he can play in the rematch against Green Bay?
Or is Frazier engaging in some high-stakes (and genius) gamesmanship with the Packers?
Well, what do you think? Could Vikings coach Leslie Frazier just be messing with the Packers? Or will we really see Joe Webb in action? If so, could his ground game cause trouble for the Pack?
UPDATE 6:29 p.m. EST: During the third quarter of the Bengals-Texans game, NBC announced that Ponder would be inactive due to his elbow injury. Joe Webb will get the start.
Related
Before You Go
