Since taking over for the injured Gus Frerotte the last two weeks, Tarvaris Jackson is 19 of 27, has thrown for 268 yards and five touchdowns. Yes, that Tarvaris Jackson – the same Tarvaris Jackson that was essentially a disaster at the beginning of the year and who prompted Vikings’ head coach Brad Childress to replace him with the ageless Frerotte.

Frerotte will likely miss Minnesota’s next game this Sunday vs. Atlanta while he rests his injured back, but he should be healthy enough to play in the Vikings’ finale. If he is, should he start over the suddenly hot Jackson? Before he was injured, Frerotte led the Vikes to a one-game lead over the Chicago Bears in the NFC North, so doesn’t he deserve the opportunity to reclaim his starting job when he’s healthy again?

It’s an interesting debate because on one hand, Frerotte has earned the right to be in the starting lineup. Plus, Jackson essentially had his opportunity to be the Vikings’ starting quarterback and he couldn’t make enough plays in the passing game to keep his job. Frerotte stepped up to the plate and delivered when Jackson failed and it’s not like he lost his job due to poor play – he got hurt.

But on the other hand, Jackson has led the Vikings to two impressive wins and even though he struggled earlier in the year, maybe he just needed time to rebuild his confidence. It looks like Childress has scaled back his offense quite a bit and Jackson has flourished, making easy reads and essentially getting out of Adrian Peterson’s way.

Personally, I think the job is still Frerotte’s. If he’s healthy, he’s earned the right to remain the starter and while it’s nice to see Jackson turn things around, he won’t always face the Lions and Cardinals defenses every week, either. In fact, maybe this Sunday will be Jackson’s first true test, as the Falcons have played very well defensively in the second half of the season.

It’ll be interesting to see if Atlanta will stuff the box and force Jackson to beat them through the air. Arizona couldn’t stop Peterson on the edges and it opened everything up for Jackson in the passing game. If Jackson falls back to earth on Sunday, maybe this debate will seize and Frerotte will reclaim his job next week and through the playoffs if the Vikings make it. But if he turns in another solid performance, there might be a legitimate quarterback controversy in Minnesota.