Christian Ponder was benched for Matt Cassel after throwing a pick six in Sunday's Week 11 game at Seattle. He finished 13-of-22 passing for 129 yards, a touchdown, and two picks including the interception returned for a touchdown by Walter Thurmond III. He also lost a fumble. Ponder was bad, but at this point we don't understand what putting Cassel into games down by 25 points accomplishes. Either way, it's abundantly clear that the Ponder era is coming to an end in Minnesota. We wouldn't be surprised if Josh Freeman got the start next week.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed on Twitter Sunday morning that Christian Ponder is expected to start at Seattle. He'll play through a non-throwing shoulder injury. Ponder has been highly ineffective when he's tried gutting out injuries before, so fire up the Seahawks' fantasy defense with excitement. The Vikings' passing game could be a nightmare. Minnesota visits Seattle in a 4:25PM ET game Sunday.

Christian Ponder (shoulder) confirmed he expects to start Sunday against the Seahawks. Ponder practiced on a limited basis Friday and is officially listed as probable. Barring a setback, he'll be healthy enough to start this week. Ponder has passed for just 555 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions over his last three games and remains off the QB2 radar.

Christian Ponder (shoulder) is listed as probable for Week 11. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier says a Week 11 quarterback decision won't be formally made until Saturday, but the Minnesota beat writers expect Ponder to get the nod. "The way he moved around today, he looked pretty good," Frazier conceded after Friday's practice. "Hopefully, he'll wake up tomorrow without any residual effects, negative effects from the workload that we gave him."

Christian Ponder (shoulder) continued to take the first-team reps in Vikings practice Thursday, and said he's optimistic he'll start Sunday's game. "Honestly it's a lot better than I expected to be all week," Ponder said Thursday. "(I) threw it around a lot more than I expected to (Wednesday). And each day it's going to keep getting better.'' Barring a setback, Ponder is going to start against the Seahawks.

Josh Freeman said Christian Ponder (shoulder) took the majority of first-team snaps Wednesday. The left (non-throwing) shoulder dislocation Ponder sustained while diving for the pylon last Thursday was minor. He's fully on track to start in this week's game against the Seahawks, but the entire Vikings passing game is "hands off" in the brutal matchup.

Christian Ponder (shoulder) is practicing Wednesday. Ponder dislocated his left (non-throwing) shoulder last Thursday against the Redskins, but it's not a major concern. He appeared to be throwing without restriction at practice Wednesday and remains on track to start this week.

Christian Ponder (shoulder) expects to play in Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Christian Ponder's shoulder injury is "minor" and the Vikings believe it's "very possible" he plays next week. Ponder dislocated his left shoulder in the third quarter of Thursday night's win over the Redskins and was immediately ruled out for the game. As of now, the expectation is that it's not serious enough to keep him out of Week 11. The Vikings will provide an update on Ponder's status no later than Wednesday.

Christian Ponder has been diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder. Ponder will be given a timeline for a return after undergoing more tests on Friday. Speaking to reporters, Ponder said he planned to be ready for Week 11, but that could be a stretch, especially since the Vikings could be looking for an excuse to further evaluate Josh Freeman. That being said, it was Matt Cassel, not Freeman, who came on in Ponder's absence this evening. Minnesota is venturing to Seattle next weekend.