Minnesota Vikings' Matt Cassel has hailed fellow quarterback Christian Ponder despite helping his side to a 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Cassel was handed his chance at Wembley during the NFL's first International Series match of 2013 due to Ponder picking up a rib injury and took full advantage to throw two touchdown passes on the way to the victory.
However, despite being in competition for a place with Ponder, Cassel heaped praise upon the absent quarterback and hopes that he returns to action as soon as possible.
"I don't know how Christian will recover or how that all will go. Christian Ponder, he's a heck of a quarterback," Cassel told reporters.
"Any time I've been in a situation where you get hurt or you get banged up, you never want to see that happen. Hopefully he gets healthy and comes back soon.
"Again, in terms of me being ready to play, I'll always take the same approach. I'll be ready. My job is to be accountable to my teammates and whatever Coach says, that's what I'll do."
Meanwhile, Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier praised Cassel after the match, but reiterated that Ponder is still the team's number one quarterback.
Barney Corkhill
