They were getting out beat by a quarterback who wasn’t at 100 percent as with every throw Josh McCown clutched his ribs on every throw and hit.
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Cornerback Joe Haden and safety Donte Whitner – Pro Bowlers previous year – left on back-to-back defensive plays with concussions.
The game didn’t start off well for the Browns, Arizona took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown.
McCown completed 18-of-34 passes for 211 yards for three touchdowns with an interception. His passer rating was 89.2.
The Browns had two turnovers. 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.
The Cleveland Browns lost their third straight game (and sixth of the year) on Sunday, falling to the Arizona Cardinals, 34-20.
It’s nothing new for a group that dealt with injuries throughout the preseason and saw important nickel back K’Waun Williams miss two games in September with a concussion.
From that point, McCown occasionally bent over in pain, but kept standing up and wouldn’t leave the game until Johnny Manziel finally trotted in with 2:16 to play. It also features one of the top NFC teams looking to possibly extend their lead in the NFC West. Watch Cardinals vs Browns online free live streaming today for an NFC vs AFC battle. Then, three plays later, Palmer and the Cardinals faced a third-and-eight. However, the offense couldn’t capitalize as Hartline dropped another pass on third-and-2. Running back Chris Johnson fumbled twice, Larry Fitzgerald fumbled once and Palmer threw an interception. The Cardinals capitalized with a field goal to end the half and trailed just 20-10. The Cardinals were flagged for an illegal shift, and the Browns were penalized for pass interference.
The Cardinals managed to stay on the field during the drive due to their ability to convert third downs.
Palmer finished the day 23 of 38 passing for 374 yards. The Browns had 20 carries for 39 yards, a 2.0 average and long of 10.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Browns are 6-point home underdogs versus the Cardinals while the total now sits at 46 points. Over under has seen the Cleveland Browns go a 6-1 so far, while the Cincinnati Bengals go 5-1. The catch would have made it a 20-14 game at halftime. On defense, the unit allowed two touchdowns in a matter of two drives, losing the lead at the 7:25 mark in the quarter.
The Browns defense turned the momentum in their favor. He did recover a fumble.
On third-and-goal, McCown connected with Hartline for a 10-yard touchdown on a skinny post. They were 3 for 3 in the first half with three touchdowns. These three players deserve credit for making key plays that prevented the Cardinals from blowing out the Browns today. Manziel warmed up a couple of times because of the punishment the Cardinals were putting on McCown.
Aided by defensive end Desmond Bryant’s sack of Palmer on third-and-10, the Browns forced the Cardinals to punt again during the ensuing series.
Then they produced a 14-play, 72-yard touchdown drive.
Even though the Browns were down by only 24-20 through the third quarter, they ran the ball only seven times in the second half.
It took a half to put the Cardinals not just back on track, but really show what this team become.
The first round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft saw his best season in his entire career in 2009 when he produced 2,006 yards.
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Travis Coons, though, missed the ensuing extra-point kick wide right. Seemingly playing through a host of injuries throughout the half.
