The reaction, however, was not sweet. Vikings fans and N.F.L. pundits debated Ponder's timing, six days before a game with the Houston Texans critical to the team's playoff hopes. Twitter speculation that Steele might be pregnant brought a gracious and clever social-media denial from Steele.

The question is, if Ponder had been having a better season, would anyone have cared?

Perhaps not. Though Ponder's inconsistency in his first full season as a starter has provided plenty of fan angst in Minnesota, it has not deterred the team's unexpected run at the playoffs.

Boosted by Adrian Peterson's pursuit of 2,000 yards and the N.F.L. single-season rushing record, the Vikings (9-6) are already six victories ahead of last year's 3-13 finish. After beating Houston last Sunday, Minnesota can clinch an N.F.C. wild card by beating Green Bay on Sunday at the Metrodome, or sneak in with a loss should the Giants and the Dallas Cowboys lose or tie and the Chicago Bears lose.

And that's with Ponder, a second-year pro and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 draft, posting the worst quarterback rating in the N.F.C. at 78.8, marginally better than that of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (67.9).

The Vikings rank last in the N.F.L. in net yards passing per game and second worst in yards per pass play. In a year when eight quarterbacks have thrown for more than 4,000 yards, Ponder needs 299 on Sunday just to reach 3,000. If he gets that many, it will be his first 200-yard performance since Nov. 11 against Detroit.

"I'm not going to put extra pressure on myself," Ponder said. "I figure everyone judges me a lot every Sunday. We'll see what happens on this Sunday. But obviously this is a big game for this organization, and my career."

It has been a meandering path to this point. Ponder started 10 games as a rookie last season after the Vikings benched the veteran Donovan McNabb. Three weeks into this season, Ponder ranked second in the N.F.L. with a 70.1 percent completion rate and fifth with a quarterback rating of 104.9. He did not throw his first interception until Week 5, on his 145th attempt.

But Ponder regressed after losing his best wideout, Percy Harvin, to a season-ending left ankle sprain on Nov. 4 in Seattle. After a credible effort the following week against Detroit (221 yards and 2 touchdown passes), Ponder completed 51 percent and 48 percent of his passes in consecutive road losses to the N.F.C. North rivals Chicago and Green Bay.

The performance against Green Bay was particularly frightful. At one point, Ponder went almost 39 minutes without a completion, and he did not complete a pass to a wide receiver until the final three minutes. Two third-quarter interceptions deep in Packers territory, one in the end zone, helped Minnesota squander a 14-10 halftime lead and lose, 23-14, wasting a 210-yard rushing performance by Peterson. Eighty-three of Ponder's meager 119 passing yards came in the final 3 minutes 32 seconds.

"Obviously I learned some things in that game," Ponder said, "but the flight home was not fun."

Through it all, Coach Leslie Frazier and the offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave disregarded fans' clamoring for Ponder to be benched in favor of his backup, Joe Webb. Frazier prefers letting a young starter play through mistakes, whether it be a quarterback or an offensive tackle.

"In my mind, in those games even when he struggled, I was still looking at the bigger picture," Frazier said. "It's not about just this moment. We're trying to get him to the point where he can lead us to a championship. If there was ever a moment when I doubted that would be the case, then we would have made some changes. But I felt all along he has the ability to do that."

Teammates have noticed a difference in Ponder the last three weeks — determination in practice, poise in the huddle, and better footwork and decision-making. The Vikings scored touchdowns on their opening drives in each game and won all three. Ponder has been more efficient than spectacular, throwing only one interception and losing one fumble. Against Houston, 8 of his 16 completions came on third down. But with Peterson running so well — he needs 102 yards to reach 2,000 for the season, and 207 to tie Eric Dickerson's N.F.L. record of 2,105 from 1984 — efficiency works.

"He looks composed," center John Sullivan said of Ponder. "We're not turning the ball over on offense. He's been a big part of that. He's completing a bunch of timely passes on third downs for big conversions to keep drives alive, and we've ended up scoring on those drives. He's just playing well and not making mistakes."

In last Sunday's 23-6 victory in Houston, Ponder went 3 for 3 on the opening drive for 62 yards, the last completion a 3-yard scoring pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph. And in the fourth quarter, his 29-yard scramble on a third-and-2 set up the final touchdown.

"There is so much that goes into people wanting immediate gratification and immediate results," Rudolph said. "He's still a young quarterback. The only way he's going to get better is through learning. For us just to take him out of the game when things don't go our way, he'll never learn."

This Sunday, Ponder must be precise and productive against a Green Bay team that has already clinched the N.F.C. North but needs a victory for a first-round bye.

"To see him bounce back like he has in this month of December is a good sign," Frazier said. "That means we did the right things early on."