When announcing today that Donovan McNabb would take a back seat to Rex Grossman as quarterback for the remainder of the season, Mike Shanahan and the Redskins have never come out and said that they believe that Grossman gives the team the best chance to win. That's because he doesn't.
Instead, Shanahan has only suggested that he wants to see how Grossman does running the offense.
Most of the country seems to be in agreement that McNabb remains a better quarterback option for the Redskins. And so with their best quarterback on the bench, the Redskins appear to be doing a favor for their opponents. The Giants and Jaguars in particular will benefit, since both teams are locked in tight playoff races.
The Redskins will travel to Jacksonville next Sunday to play the Jaguars, who currently hold a single game lead over the Indiannapolis Colts in the AFC South. Should the Jaguars lose to the Colts when the division rivals face off this Sunday, the teams would be tied, and a win against Washington would be even more critical. Fortunately for the Jaguars, they'll only have to face Grossman, and maybe John Beck, but not McNabb.
The Giants visit FedEx Field the final week of the season, and they are currently tied with the Eagles atop the NFC East standings. The winner of the division will most likely be whoever wins the game between those two teams on Sunday afternoon, but the Giants, who clobbered the Redskins 31-7 earlier this year, will surely prefer to see Grossman on the opposite sideline to McNabb.