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The Vikings play on Thursday this week, which means coach Leslie Frazier won’t be able to repeat last week’s extended hemming and hawing about the identity of his starting quarterback.

Frazier moved to cut off any speculation right after Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, saying that Christian Ponder would make a third straight start after being returned to the starting lineup in the wake of Josh Freeman’s concussion.

“As we speak, I don’t see why we would make a change,” Frazier said, via the Pioneer Press. “Sometimes after ballgames you make emotional decisions, but I don’t see anything that tells me he shouldn’t start against the Redskins.”

Ponder had what’s become a fairly typical game for him on Sunday. He was 25-of-37 for 236 yards with a touchdown and an interception while also losing a fumble that the Cowboys fell on for a touchdown in the end zone because he had so little awareness of the pass rush around him that an uninformed observer might have thought it was the first time he’d ever played a game of football. There were a few good things, a few bad things and not nearly enough to lift a flawed team to victory.

The Vikings know what Ponder is at this point and that’s why they opted for both Matt Cassel and Freeman at other points this season, but they clearly don’t think an abbreviated week is enough time to get Freeman ready for a second chance at the big job.