Vikings vs Packers: Rookie Stock Watch for Minnesota QB Christian Ponder

Rookie Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder hasn't been a revelation, to be sure, but he's certainly an improvement over Donovan McNabb, showing flashes of why the team drafted him as their quarterback of the future.

In his three games, he's completed 40 of his 77 passing attempts for 554 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

While his 51.9 completion percentage and 187 yards-per-game average don't engender much excitement, they also shows that he's not being asked to take on too much, which is necessary for a rookie quarterback who wasn't expected to start at all in 2011.

His performance has improved every week under center, as has that of the Vikings as a whole. With Ponder under center, Minnesota has converted 10 of 16 third downs, compared to just four out of 17 with McNabb as starter.

His yards-per-attempt are up, too, with just 5.8 when he took over for McNabb against the Chicago Bears in Week 6, to 8.4 against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. And though he threw his two picks in his Week 7 game (his first true start) against the Packers, two of his three touchdowns came in that contest as well.

All of this bodes well for his future in Minnesota, as well as for his chances to further impress in tonight's game against Green Bay.

Ponder held his own while debuting against the most dominant team in the NFL and managed to confound the Packers secondary at the same time.

With more preparation and a greater level of comfort on the big stage, he should do similarly as well tonight, though, as an inexperienced rookie, he still runs the risk of making mistakes and throwing picks.

Luckily, Ponder has the benefit of the best running back in the league playing for his team. Adrian Peterson is clearly the star of the Vikings offense, with 950 total yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns on the year, leading the league in rushes, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

With Peterson able to take pressure off of Ponder in this critical season, it allows for him to take his time developing as a quarterback and team leader, and means that he doesn't have to pass for 40 or more times per game, which puts him at risk.

While the Vikings have little chance to defeat the Packers tonight, that's not surprising; Green Bay is undefeated, and almost any opponent would likely fall to them tonight.

But that doesn't mean Ponder has no future as a starter.

In fact, he looks like he will be of great benefit to the Vikings for years to come. All he needs are better targets to throw to and more experience and he should prove to be one of the better quarterbacks to come out of the 2011 draft class.