The Jacksonville Jaguars welcomed the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium in Week 1. They were an 8.5-point favorite and quickly proved why. Right off the bat, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's unit set the tone by picking off Deshaun Watson.
Trevor Lawrence proceeded to put together a sharp drive that wide receiver Parker Washington capped off with a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Fantasy managers rejoice 📈 @CPW11_ | #CLEvsJAX on CBSpic.twitter.com/RNEqOzhhm4
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 13, 2026
The Jags were just getting started, though. They kept putting points on the scoreboard and ultimately proved to be too much for Cleveland. In the end, head coach Liam Coen's squad ended up winning 34-10. With this in mind, here are some quick thoughts from their first victory of the season.
11 instant reactions from the Jaguars' dominant win to start the season
1. All offseason, there was chatter about who would replace Devin Lloyd: Branson Combs or Ventrell Miller. That kind of made fellow linebacker Foyesade Oluokun fly under the radar, but he made sure that changed on Jacksonville's first defensive drive of the game.
Now that's a start! @foyelicious | #CLEvsJAX on CBS pic.twitter.com/SjAhtWZBqL
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 13, 2026
Oluokun picked off Watson, and the offense scored on the following drive. The Yale product reminded everyone in the season opener why he's the lone player from Trent Baalke's 2022 free-agency class who remains in Duval.
2. The Jags failed to strike an extension with Parker Washington before the season began. They reportedly offered him an annual average of $25 million, similar to the one fellow receiver Michael Wilson just got, but it wasn't enough to reach an agreement. No. 11 proved against the Browns why he deserves to be paid.
Washington went off against Cleveland, reeling in five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. If the Jags don't pay him soon, his stock will only continue to go up.
3. Rookie CJ Williams got off to a strong start to his NFL career, scoring his first touchdown in the pros. Looking back, it's easy to see why he and Josh Cameron suited up for the game. Both of them did enough during training camp to earn a role in 2026.
4. Josh Hines-Allen also wreaked havoc against the Browns, forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble, and posting one sack. The former Kentucky Wildcat got off to a slow start last year. That won't be the case in 2026.
5. Even though it's been discussed at length, it deserves to be brought to everyone's attention that Trevor Lawrence has no shortage of weapons. In the second quarter, he connected with Brenton Strange for his fourth touchdown of the game.
With that grab, Strange reached the 1,000-yard mark in his career. He signed a three-year deal worth $36 million in the offseason, so expect them to keep connecting in the foreseeable future.
6. Trevor Lawrence shredded the Cleveland secondary, going 18-of-23 for 245 yards with four touchdowns. By the fourth quarter, the game was already out of reach, so the Jags felt comfortable with Nick Mullens entering the football field for mop-up duty. His dominant outing in Week 1 should make him a strong candidate for the early MVP conversation.
7. The Jacksonville defense suffocated the Browns' running game, limiting them to 29 yards on eight totes and an average of 3.6 per carry by halftime. Things improved a little in the second half but not by much, as Cleveland ended the game with 87 rushing yards.
8. The Jaguars pass rush was on full display against Cleveland, routinely forcing Deshaun Watson to make mistakes and sacking him twice. Granted, Jacksonville had a favorable matchup because two rookie offensive linemen started for Browns. Nevertheless, that doesn't take anything away from their effort.
9. The offensive line kept Trevor Lawrence's jersey mostly clean. Although the hog mollies gave up a sack, they neutralized the Cleveland pass rush and consistently gave No. 16 ample time to throw.
10. Liam Coen put an emphasis on execution and fundamentals in the offseason because the Jaguars struggled with penalties in 2025. The Jags will need to keep working on that. Although it wasn't dreadful, they committed four penalties for 25 yards.
11. As noted before, the Browns struggled to run the ball, but how bad were they truly? Ameer Abdullah joined the Jags in the offseason. He entered the game in the second quarter and had more rushing yards (20 on three carries) than Quinshon Judkins (14 on five carries) by halftime.
You know things are bad when your RB3 has more yards in less carries than your starter.
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