3 glaring problems the Jaguars must fix vs. the Browns in Week 2

The Jacksonville Jaguars are off to a rough start to the 2024 NFL season, losing to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The silver lining is that they showed competency throughout most of the game. Granted, it all came apart after running back Travis Etienne's fumble, but there were most definitely plenty of bright spots. Simply, the Jags need to learn how to finish, an issue that has haunted them dating back to last year.

This begs the question, what does Jacksonville need to work on if they want to get in the win column in Week 2? They'll need to fix these three issues if they want to beat the Cleveland Browns.

The Jaguars must protect Trevor Lawrence better

One of the biggest issues the Jaguars had last year was pass protection. Even though they brought in Mitch Morse in free agency and signed left guard Ezra Cleveland to a three-year deal, the unit as a whole struggled in Week 1. In total, they gave up seven pressures and two sacks, two of them with the game on the line.

While the number of total pressures seems manageable, it doesn't look nearly as great when you take into account that Trevor Lawrence dropped back just 22 times. Granted, he took too long to throw in one of the sacks, so deserves some of the blame. That said, the offensive line must do a better job of protecting him. The 33rd Team ranked the Jags as the 29th team in pass protection in Week 1.

Fast forward to Week 2, and the Jaguars will welcome Myles Garrett, one of the top 3 pass rushers in the NFL. If they want to have a chance to keep No. 16 upright and win the contest, they'll need to provide better protection up front.

Christian Kirk and Evan Engram cannot have drops at crucial times

Trevor Lawrence completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 162 yards with one touchdown in Week 1. His statline would've looked much better if tight end Evan Engram and Christian Kirk hadn't had a combined three drops.

Even the best players are bound to make mistakes every now and then. The trouble is that all three drops came on third down, and if they had reeled them in, they would've moved the chains and given the offense a chance to score in all three instances.

What's surprising is that drops weren't an issue for Engram the past two years. They were during his five-year stint with the New York Giants but he's corrected it. The same is true for Christian Kirk, who's been one of the team's most dependable receivers since he signed in 2022. Precisely for that reason, both of them should have no trouble bouncing back.

The Jaguars cannot give up big plays to Deshaun Watson and the Browns in Week 2

The Jaguars defense deserves credit for holding the Miami high-powered offense to just 20 points. That said, gave up to big players that ultimately played a role in the outcome of the game: A 63-yard reception to Jaylen Waddler, and an 80-yard touchdown grab to Tyreek Hill right after Travis Etienne fumbled.

Again, the defense did a good job of containing the Dolphins, but that's precisely why they cannot let two plays spoil their work. While the secondary must do their part, the pass rush must also step up.

It's true that defensive Travon Walker had a dazzling performance in spite of getting double-teamed. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead also managed to get his first sack in Jaguars uniform. On the other hand, the Jags pressured Tua Tagovailoa on just 14.6 percent of the snaps.

The good news is that the Jaguars will next face a Browns offensive line that gave up 25 total pressures and six sacks in the opener.

The Browns were without their starting offensive tackles, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin, in the opener. There's a chance neither will suit up for Week 2. If so, this is a matchup Jacksonville must take advantage of.

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