Donovan McNabb benched late in game as the Washington Redkins lose to the Detroit Lions
Washington Redskins head coach, Mike Shanahan, decided to bench starting quarterback Donovan McNabb late in the fourth quarter with the team trailing by six points, giving the responsibility to Rex Grossman.
The plan backfired as the Redskins went on to lose 37-25 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, 31 October.
How it happened
Matthew Stafford was back in at quarterback for the Detroit Lions after going down in week one with an injury. He was sharp, throwing four touchdowns including three to Calvin Johnson.
With just under two minutes to go, with the score 31-25 in favor of the Lions, Shanahan decided to bench McNabb and let Rex Grossman try to lead the comeback. On Grossman's first snap he was sacked by
Kyle Vanden Bosch, fumbling the ball in the process. Ndamukong Suh picked up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown effectively putting the game out of reach for the Redskins.
What they're saying
Shanahan's decision to bench McNabb and hand the ball to Rex Grossman has people all around the NFL scratching their head. Shanahan seemed to be selling the idea that his belief was that Grossman was better
able to run the two-minute drill than McNabb was when he said, "I thought that was the best scenario for us to win."
McNabb was not about to criticize his coach's decision. "When you get benched, you get benched. Just have to learn from it and move on," McNabb said after the game. "I continue to focus as if I'm the starter.
He said I'm still the starter.
"You have to be a professional," he added. "There's a long season ahead of us."
Several NFL analysts were making sharp criticisms of Shanahan's decision as well. NBC's Rodney Harrison stated on Football Night in America:
"Donovan McNabb is not a rookie quarterback. He's a veteran guy. What type of statement are you making to your team saying that I am pulling my best player and sitting him on the bench in the most critical situation of the game."
What it all means
The Redskins now head into their bye week with a record of 4-4. McNabb will remain the team's starting quarterback when the Redskins host McNabb's old team, the Philadelphia Eagles,
in two weeks on Monday, 15 November.
The Lions improve to 2-5 on the season as they host the New York Jets next Sunday, 7 November.
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