23-year old rookie QB Christian Ponder better step up for the Vikings, because 25-year old Joe Webb is breathing down his back.  Ponder has played in 8 games for the Vikings so far this year and he has completed 132 of 237 passes (55.7%) for 1,637 yards with 11 TD passes and 11 INTs (73.4 QB Rating).  Ponder has also carried the ball 21 times for 165 yards (7.9 ypc) so far this year.  He has been getting sloppy lately and throwing a lot of interceptions.  If he wants to keep his starting job, he needs to be more careful when he’s throwing the ball.  Joe Webb has looked solid for the Vikings this year.  In 8 games, Webb has completed 13 of 25 passes (52%) for 92 yards with  1 TD pass and 0 INTs (74.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 11 times for 118 yards (10.7 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Webb has now played in 13 games in his first two years with the Vikings and he has completed 67 of 114 passes (58.8%) for 569 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs (63.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 29 times for 238 yards (8.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far in his NFL career.

The Vikings have placed 22-year old WR Stephen Burton on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a strained MCL.  Burton played in 3 games for the Vikings this year and he caught 2 passes for 38 yards (19.0 avg).  He was a 7th round pick out of tiny West Texas A&M in last June’s NFL Draft.  The Vikings will be o.k. without him the rest of the year.

The Vikings deserve a lot of credit for not giving up in this game, which would have been easy as they were down 31-14 at the half.  Christian Ponder completed 11 of 21 passes for 115 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs (one of which was returned 30 yards for a TD by CB Alponso Smith of the Lions).  He also lost a fumble on a sack, which was recovered in the end zone by LB Stephen Tulloch for a Lions’ TD.  Ponder was yanked from the game and replace by Joe Webb, who really injected energy into the offense as he almost brought them all the way back.  Webb completed 12 of 23 passes for 84 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 109 yards (15.6 avg) with 1 TD run in this game.  Toby Gerhart had a very solid game for the Vikings yesterday as he carried the ball 19 times for 90 yards (4.7 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Lorenzo Booker pitched in with 3 carries for 17 yards (5.7 ypc)  yesterday.  WR Percy Harvin led the way in the passing game for the Vikings with 10 grabs for 69 yards and he also carried the ball 4 times for 40 yards (10.0 ypc).  WR Devin Aromashodu (4 rec, 47 yards, TD) and TE Visanthe Shiancoe (3 rec, 33 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Vikings in the passing game.  The Vikings rushed for 269 yards on 35 carries (7.7 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 44 passes (52.3%) for 156 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:46.

The defense didn’t play that bad in this game as Christian Ponder gave the Lions two TDs and set them up with some short fields.  LB Chad Greenway (8 tackles) and safety Jamarca Sanford (8 tackles) led the way on D for the Vikings yesterday.  DT Kevin Williams (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and DE Jared Allen (3 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits) also had solid games yesterday for the Vikings.  The Lions finished up with 72 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 208 yards.  The Vikings are now 2-11 on the year.

The Vikings have lost four games in a row.  They lost the first meeting with the Lions 26-23 in O.T. in Minnesota.  The Lions have lost three of their last four games and they have given up 130 points in those contests.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings might be getting back Adrian Peterson in this game.  It would be perfect timing as the Lions are giving up 125.0 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  If Peterson can’t go, Toby Gerhart will get the call at RB and he will likely be effective.  If Christian Ponder has time to throw the ball, he could have some success down the field throwing  to Percy Harvin and Devin Aromashodu.  Ponder will have to be careful though as the Lions have 15 interceptions already this year.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Vikings better hope that they can get to Matt Stafford, because he’s going to shred the secondary if he has time to throw the ball.  DE Jared Allen (14.5 sacks) will have to get a lot of hits on Stafford or it’s going to be a very long day in Detroit for the Vikings.  Stafford will likely spread the ball around to keep everyone happy, but WR Calvin Johnson will be the main man and he’s going to give the Vikings’ D fits in this game.  Maurice Morris will likely be the main back for the Lions in this game and the Vikings’ front seven should be able to handle stopping him.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 34, VIKINGS 17

Other than Adrian Peterson, 23-year old WR Percy Harvin is by far the best playmaker on the Vikings.  He has played in 12 games for the Vikings so far this year and he has caught 59 passes for 710 yards (12.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Vikings’ QBs have completed an amazing 59 of 78 passes (75.6%) when throwing the ball in Harvin’s direction.  Harvin has also carried the ball 38 times for 254 yards (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run as he is a very effective runner.  That isn’t it though.  Harvin has also returned 11 kickoffs for 398 yards (36.2 avg) with 1 TD return this year.  Harvin now has 108 touches so far this year and he has rolled up 1,362 all-purpose yards (12.6 avg. per touch).  Harvin is averaging 113.5 all-purpose yards for the Vikings, but he has potential for much more.

The Vikings played a great game offensively until the last time they had the ball.  Christian Ponder threw a interception to CB Andre Goodman of the Broncos late in the game.  The Broncos’ offense grinded down the clock and then Matt Prater nailed a 23-yard field as time expired to doom the Vikings today.  Christian Ponder was solid for the most part in this game as he completed 29 of 47 passes for 381 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  His interceptions were both really costly for the Vikings today.  One of them was returned 16 yards for a TD by LB Mario Haggan of the Broncos and the other one set up the game winning field goal for the Broncos.  Ponder also carried the ball 1 time for 12 yards.  Joe Webb completed his only pass attempt in this game and it was good for 8 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards for the Vikings today.  Toby Gerhart had a very solid game with 91 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.3 ypc) and 42 yards receiving on 8 grabs (5.3 avg).  WR Percy Harvin was electric today for the Vikings as he caught 8 passes for 156 yards (19.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 19 yards (3.8 ypc) in this game.  WR Devin Aromashodu (6 rec, 90 yards), TE Visanthe Shiancoe (4 rec, 36 yards) and TE Kyle Rudolph (1 rec, 19 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Vikings in the passing game today.  The Vikings finished up with 129 yards rushing on 30 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 48 passes (62.5%) for 360 yards as they had possession of the ball for 37:51.

The defense wasn’t too good for the Vikings today.  CB Benny Sapp (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), CB Cedric Griffin (6 tackles), LB Erin Henderson (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and LB Chad Greenway (6 tackles) led the way for the Vikings’ D in this game.  DE Jared Allen (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hits, 1 fumble recovery and a safety) and safety Jamarca Sanford (3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) also had solid games for the Vikings today.  The Broncos finished up with 150 yards rushing on 32 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 15 passes (66.7%) for 186 yards in this game.  The Vikings are now 2-10 on the season.

The Vikings have lost three games in a row now by a combined score of 96-42!  The Broncos on the other hand, have won 4 games in a row and they are 5-1 with Tim Tebow starting at QB.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  Without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings should come out throwing the ball on the Broncos.  If Christian Ponder has time to throw the ball, he’s likely to have some success as the Broncos are giving up 234.7 yards passing per game.  The problem is that Ponder doesn’t have many weapons in the passing game.  WR Percy Harvin and TE Visanthe Shiancoe should be his top targets tomorrow afternoon.  Toby Gerhart could have some success tomorrow running the ball against a Broncos’ D that is allowing 120.5 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Vikings are going to key on stopping Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow from running the ball.  That will be easier said than done as the Broncos are averaging 159.7 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  Still, the Vikings are only giving up 99.6 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  The Vikings have had a ton of injuries in the secondary, so they will try to get a good pass rush on Tim Tebow on passing downs.  If they get in his grill, he might make some mistakes throwing the ball.  The Vikings will likely double cover WR Eric Decker on passing downs and dare Tebow to beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  BRONCOS 17, VIKINGS 13

The Vikings have claimed 33-year old QB Sage Rosenfels off waivers from the Dolphins.  He hasn’t played in any games so far this year.  Rosenfels has played in 44 games (12 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 351 of 562 passes (62.5%) for 4,156 yards with 30 TD passes and 29 INTs (81.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 48 times for 95 yards (2.0 ypc) with 1 TD run so far in his career.  Rosenfels is 6-6 (50%) as a starting QB so far in his NFL career.  Rosenfels will be having his second tour of duty with the Vikings.  He played for them in 2009, but he didn’t get into any games that year.

The Vikings have waived 35-year old QB Donovan McNabb.  McNabb played in 6 games (all starts) for the Vikings this year and he completed 94 of 156 passes (60.3%) for 1,026 yards with 4 TD passes and 2 INTs (82.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 14 times for 59 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run for the Vikings this year.  The Vikings are going to roll with Christian Ponder and Joe Webb at QB the rest of the season.  McNabb might hook on with another team in the near future, but the Vikings aren’t going to miss him.