LONDON -- Matt Cassel will get a chance to steer the Minnesota Vikings to their first win of the season -- and maybe put himself in position for a more regular role. Cassel will replace injured starter Christian Ponder at quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Wembley Stadium. The Vikings (0-3) ruled out Ponder on Friday with a fractured rib sustained in last weekends 31-27 loss to the Cleveland Browns. "We worked with Matt in the mindset that this was a possibility, so I think were prepared in that way," coach Leslie Frazier said. "Hes been in this role before. His veteran presence -- you can feel it. So there was no shock this week as he got more and more reps. I think (the team) will handle it the right way." Cassel hasnt played a down this season since signing a two-year deal with the Vikings in the off-season. The former New England Patriot threw six touchdowns and 12 interceptions in nine games for the 2-14 Chiefs last season. "Ive been preparing for this and I feel like Im ready to go," Cassel said. "I feel comfortable with this offence. Im excited about it. Thats what you prepare for as a backup." Frazier is hoping Cassel will go out at Wembley and make a statement. "Im hoping that he shines, but I dont foresee a quarterback controversy," Frazier said. "We want him to play lights out and have the best game of his NFL career on Sunday." If Cassel does shine, it could leave Frazier with a decision on who to start against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 13 after the bye week. Ponder, a third-year pro, has struggled this season, throwing two touchdowns and five interceptions for a 65.9 passer rating. He also has lost two fumbles. Ponder had taken the majority of snaps in practice Thursday and looked determined to play Sunday. "We just felt like it was, from a medical standpoint, too risky to put him out there to take a hit," Frazier said. "Hes a tough guy but it probably wouldnt be wise to put him out in that situation." "Hes a competitive guy and hes played through some tough injuries here. He wanted to play," Frazier said. "This is something you dont know how many times youll get a chance to play in a game like this, but its probably wise since we have a bye coming up, so he understands." Also ruled out for the Vikings are cornerback Chris Cook (groin), safety Jamarca Sanford (hamstring), and tight end Rhett Ellison (knee). The rest of the players on the Vikings injury report all practiced in full Friday and are probable for Sundays game. They are running back Matt Asiata (hamstring), cornerback A.J. Jefferson (ankle), defensive tackle Kevin Williams (knee), linebacker Erin Henderson (heel), and long snapper Cullen Loeffler (neck). The Vikings and Steelers are both 0-3 heading into the NFL International Series match at Wembley Stadium. Deandre Baker Giants Jersey . TSN 1290s game day coverage begins on Monday, June 9 at 5:30pm ct as the Blue Bombers take on the Toronto Argonauts in pre-season action. Bombers game day broadcasts on TSN 1290 are hosted by Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Famers Troy Westwood and new addition Chris Walby, alongside beat reporter Darrin Bauming, who delivers regular reports on the team for TSN 1290 all-season long. Oshane Ximines Giants Jersey . He made another correct read. The Browns, who have been shuttling quarterbacks on and off the field all season, finally got some good news on that front: Campbells ribs are only bruised. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Phil...-giants-jersey/. The Incheon-based tea, of the Korea Baseball Organization said the deal for the 35-year-old Scott included a $50,000 signing bonus. Scott reached the major leagues with Houston in 2005 and hit 23 homers or more for Baltimore each year from 2008-10. Darius Slayton Jersey . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks. Daniel Jones Giants Jersey . The future hall of famers stole the show at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with Jagr moving into seventh place in all-time goal scoring and Brodeur stopping 29 shots as the Devils downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Hello Mr. Fraser, I am curious about the apparent game-winning goal scored by San Jose in OT last night (11/5/13) against Buffalo and how Toronto didnt catch it. It looks to me like the goal was scored and the whistle had not been blown. The shot off the post and the scrum after looked confusing enough to me for the officials to have stopped the game and gone to review? Do you have any insight on this? Thanks,Randy MarkhamOakland, CA Randy: It wasnt a case of Toronto not catching it when Tommy Wingels jammed the puck from under Ryan Millers blocker and into the net for what appeared to be the game winning goal in overtime. The men in the Toronto Situation Room were in fact reviewing that play, as they do all close calls around the net, once the puck hit the goal post and eventually crossed the goal line. Had the Situation Room spoken with Referee Mike Leggo via the headset they would have only been able to inform the ref that the puck had in fact crossed the goal line and entered the net and not when they heard the sound of his whistle. This became an unnecessary telephone communication once the Referee determined the play was dead with an "intent was to blow the whistle" prior to the puck being jammed loose and across the goal line. The Refs decision to stop the play is not a reviewable situation. The mind is always quicker than the whistle hand! For this reason rule 31.2 was instituted to compensate for the delay between the Officials visual determination that the play is dead and the physical action of blowing the whistle. Rule 31.2 reads as follows: "As there is a human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown.dddddddddddd The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening." In reviewing the play we see Referee Leggo holding an extended wash-out signal once the initial shot struck the goal post and rebounded under Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller. As evidenced by the camera angle from the broadcast feed, similar to the sightline the referee had on the play, the puck then disappears under Millers blocker glove and appears to be covered. At this point Leggo would have clearly lost sight of the puck but paused momentarily to blow his whistle to ensure that the goalkeeper had full control of the puck and that it did not squirt loose. The Ref had to also be aware of the potential for Tommy Wingels to jam at the goalkeeper and dislodge a frozen puck. Referee Mike Leggo created some confusion on this play when he was slow in transitioning from his initial extended washout signal when the puck hit the post, to the point where Miller covered the puck and it was eventually poked free and into the net by Tommy Wingels. I concede the optics of this slow decision was bad but Referee Leggo ultimately made the correct determination that the puck was sufficiently frozen by Ryan Miller. It would have been unfair to allow Tommy Wingles to unearth a frozen puck and jam it into the net. The net result was the Refs intent to blow the play dead prior to the puck entering the net. A quicker whistle (or intent to blow the whistle) by the Referee would have eliminated any controversy on this play. Any discussion with the Situation Room would have only added to the confusion since the play could not be reviewed. Right call made - poor execution! ' ' '