Despite getting yanked at halftime of Sunday’s 36-7 loss at Baltimore in favor of second-year QB Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb will start for the Eagles when they host the Cardinals on Thanksgiving night. Coach Andy Reid made that news public yesterday.

Of course, Reid’s decision to bench McNabb over the weekend wasn’t carried out with similar openness; he asked his quarterbacks coach to deliver the bad news to McNabb.

So if McNabb was performing poorly enough to lose his job a few days ago, why hand it right back for Thursday’s game? Well, we can think of a few reasons:

10. Limited practice time won’t enable Kolb to learn enough plays to screw up

9. Coach confident McNabb will cough up the job himself

8. With last two games on road, Eagles fans haven’t had chance to drive McNabb out on their own

7. Like any chief executive, Reid felt this week he should spare a turkey

6. It’s not who starts that's important, it’s who throws the killer INTs at the end

5. All the assistants disappeared when Reid sought volunteer to tell McNabb he was out

4. Donovan’s Mom says no team Thanksgiving dinner if her boy’s not starting

3. Don’t worry, ever-patient Philly fans still basking in World Series afterglow

2. Reid bribed with Chunky soup

1. You really can’t have a tie at starting QB