Donovan McNabb: Why Benching McNabb Must Be Vikings' Next Move

The whole world owes Redskins coach Mike Shanahan an apology.

He was right about Donovan McNabb.

After having yet another subpar game in the Minnesota Viking’s 22-17 loss to the previously winless Kansas City Chiefs, it’s painfully clear that McNabb’s time as a starter in this league is over.

His numbers weren’t awful (18-of-30 for 202 yards, two TDs and a INT), but you never got the sense that McNabb was infusing much confidence into his teammates. His body language was awful, and he looked like a guy that was feeling the heat.

The Vikings were 5-for-14 on third downs, he had two fumbles and overthrew open receivers on multiple occasions. Not converting on third downs has been a huge issue for McNabb, and the same problems happened yet again.

With a chance to lead his team on the game-winning touchdown drive, four straight McNabb incompletions extinguished any hope.

McNabb was able to move the chains on a less-than-stellar Chiefs defense, but they never could piece together long drives that resulted in points with any consistency.

At 0-4, it’s time for McNabb to take a seat. His backup, rookie Christian Ponder, may not be ready…but it’s time for him to get his feet wet.

Head coach Leslie Frazier has told reporters that McNabb needs to work on his mechanics. Yes, that’s right, a guy that is 34 years old and has been throwing footballs for the vast majority of his life. Now, he needs to adjust the way he throws the ball?

It’s that bad for McNabb and the Vikings.

Ponder won’t be an upgrade at first, but getting his feet wet in a low-pressure situation is the smart move. At 0-4, the Vikes season is all but over, and they are now firmly entrenched in the “suck for Luck” campaign that other winless teams are competing for.

Might as well toss Ponder in there to see what he’s got.

Because the unknown is better than what we know about McNabb at this point.