Cleveland Browns lose to Arizona Cardinals, 5 takeaways

Nov 1, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) throws the ball over Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns were up 20-10 over the Arizona Cardinals at halftime of Sunday’s game. Things looked so promising.

That was until the second half happened.

The Cardinals outscored the Browns 24-0 in the second half en route to a 34-20 victory.

The Browns are now 2-6 and have a short week of recovery, as they head to Cincinnati to take on the 7-0 Bengals on Thursday.

The soon to be 7-1 Bengals, am I right?

Anyway, here are five takeaways from today’s loss:

1. There is no rushing attack

Josh McCown finished as the Browns leading rusher against the Cardinals. With 18 yards.

Meanwhile, those being paid to run the ball, Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, and Robert Turbin combined for 20 yards on 14 carries.

Turbin also fumbled once, although it was credited to McCown.

The lack of a running game is puzzling, as this offensive line is one that is solid, at least on paper.

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Johnson is more of a threat in the receiving game, and Turbin is a power back, but there is no reason Crowell should be held to 14 yards on 10 carries. Part of the problem may be his recurring act of running right into the line, drawing comparisons to Trent Richardson.

At least Crowell was not a top-3 pick.

2. Josh McCown is giving all he has to give

Josh McCown did not play a terrible game. He threw for three touchdowns, all in the first half, and played through visible pain for most of the game.

Watching McCown continue to play in pain showed his heart, but did nothing to help the team. Johnny Manziel should have come in the game much sooner. There is no need to play an injured player on a 2-5, now 2-6 team.

But there is no denying McCown’s drive and will to win. He just simply is not good enough to take a team to the playoffs. There is much more to the 2-6 record than his play alone, but it is clear that his best is simply not good enough in a league dominated by names like Manning, Brady, and Rodgers.

3. Firing Mike Pettine will solve nothing

The Browns once again have a pitiful record early in the season, which draws the usual calls from fans to fire the coach. But what would that solve?

Firing Pettine would only signal the end of the season coming early. Having an interim coach would be the worst thing for this team, and would only cause further frustration for the players.

He has not exactly been given a great team to coach, and has only coached 20 games for the Browns. If coaches are fired after less than two seasons, why would anyone want to take a chance coaching this team?

If the Browns lose out and Pettine is clearly not fit for the job, then fire him then. But doing it now would only make things worse than they already are.