Embarrassing Loss Is Nail in the Coffin for Christian Ponder's Vikings Future

The Minnesota Vikings suffered an annihilation at the hands of the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night with discouraged quarterback Christian Ponder the symbol at the forefront of the team’s inadequacy.

A perfect storm led to the embarrassing showing put forth by Minnesota. Ponder was plugged into the lineup on a short week, giving him less prep time as Teddy Bridgewater's availability hung in the balance all week. The offense was without Adrian Peterson, Kyle Rudolph and Brandon Fusco beyond the injuries at the quarterback position.

Inexperienced and inferior teams have also shown a tendency to be overwhelmed in Thursday night games, and this one followed suit. The veterans on the team also have little experience in new schemes under a new coaching staff, so a full week of preparation is helpful. All these factors, plus inexcusable individual performances, led to a forgettable display from the Vikings.

Quarterback play was the root of the problem. After being relegated to the third-string spot, Christian Ponder put in an apathetic-looking preseason and appeared unprepared for his cameo against Green Bay.

The final statistical tallies tell one story about Ponder’s night. He was inefficient completing passes, despite a majority of his targets being underneath the coverage. Receivers weren’t able to earn many yards after the catch because of poor ball placement. He also failed to take care of the ball with two balls landing in the hands of Green Bay defenders.

Comp/Att	Yards	YPA	TD	INT	Sacks	QBR
22/44	222	5.0	0	2	6	4.9

Minnesota’s game plan certainly could not have called for Ponder to throw the ball 44 times. The script of the game dictated that. On top of the defense’s poor start, the deep hole the Vikings found themselves in early came from Ponder’s terrible first-half performance.

"

8/18 passing for 60 yards and 2INTs for Ponder in the first half. 13.4 passer rating. #Vikings

— Aj Mansour (@AjKFAN) October 3, 2014"

The entire offense was crippled by Ponder’s limitations in the first quarter alone. Then he threw interceptions on back-to-back throws in the second quarter, which became the icing on a rotten cake.

Inaccuracy was an identifiable issue for Ponder against Green Bay. On numerous throws, some even underneath, he placed the ball behind receivers who were forced to reach behind them and make difficult receptions. Accuracy on deep throws was laughable. His overall ball placement followed the theme of inconsistency that has plagued his NFL career.

Poor pocket maintenance was the overwhelming problem for Ponder, however. Inability to stay composed under pressure held back Ponder’s development from the very beginning, so his shortcomings in compressed pockets surprised few onlookers.

On numerous plays, the Minnesota offensive line hemorrhaged pressure too quickly for Ponder to react. Fully faulting Ponder in those situations is unfair. The responsibility fell on the shoulders of both Ponder and the entire offensive line on most occasions, however. Mike Zimmer indicated as such in the post-game presser:

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Zimmer said Ponder "didn't play very well." Also said part of pass protection is on QB

— Brian Hall (@MNBrianHall) October 3, 2014"

All successful quarterbacks have an intuitive understanding of space in the pocket, sliding to space and helping their blockers stay in position. Extra responsibility also falls on the quarterback’s shoulders in communicating with his offensive line before the snap and organizing protection. Ponder and center John Sullivan have extensive experience working together, so this outcome was that much worse.

When Ponder did feel the heat, he dropped his eyes, lost control of his feet and threw wildly. None of these issues are new. This showing only confirms problems already known.

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Minnesota’s inability to involve Cordarrelle Patterson or Greg Jennings to a higher degree is closely related to the inadequate quarterback play as well. Only four completions landed in their hands. While offensive coordinator Norv Turner should have done more to scheme touches for the two receivers, an NFL quarterback should possess an understanding of how to maximize yardage by seeking out the best receivers.

Patterson and Jennings found space in the middle of the defense or even on drag routes underneath where Ponder was unable to spot them on numerous plays. Turner was unable to take the game out of Ponder’s hands to any degree. Ponder made the situation worse by failing to help himself.

For Ponder's future in the NFL, this may be the final chapter in the horror story of his career. He seemed fully aware of that disappointing reality after the game.

"

"I don't know when it'll happen next. That's what stinks about tonight." - Ponder on next start. #Vikings

— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) October 3, 2014"

For the Vikings, the time to move on from Ponder has come. Why he actually remained on the team to this point still remains to be seen. His skills certainly don’t fit the downfield-emphasized and deep-drop-heavy passing game of Turner. Ponder appeared defeated in the lead up to the season. The reality that he needs a change of scenery also should have set in a long time ago.

Even though Ponder has become a failure of epic proportions as a former first-round selection, he could still carve out a role as a backup quarterback somewhere. This tape won’t be the one he points to when he tries to make that case to other teams in the near future.