EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -- Christian Ponder injected some life into a stagnant offense when he took over as the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback seven games ago.

Ponder's mobility, poise and playmaking turned a rebuilding season into an interesting one. He helped the team to a victory over Carolina and went toe-to-toe with the Green Bay Packers in a close home loss to give the team and the fans hope that the 12th overall pick would be their guy for the future.

But his progress has been stunted over the past two games. He has thrown five interceptions and was benched in the second half of a loss to Detroit on Sunday. A hip injury has contributed to his struggles, but Ponder fully expects to start on Sunday against New Orleans.

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