Liam Coen made his opening message plain before the season kicked off: the Jaguars needed to play violent, physical football. On Sunday, Jacksonville backed that up in a 34-10 dismantling of the Cleveland Browns.
The Jaguars controlled the game from the jump, piling up five sacks, an interception and a forced fumble while holding Cleveland to 1-for-8 on third down. The Browns never scored in the first half, and Deshaun Watson spent all four quarters under steady heat from Jacksonville’s front.
“We play at our best as a team here in Jacksonville when we're playing grimy, physical, nasty, and we're flying around with relentless pursuit,” Coen said.
Trevor Lawrence looked every bit like a quarterback carrying over a strong finish from 2025. After throwing just 10 touchdown passes over the Jaguars’ first nine games last season, he closed hot with 22 over the final nine games, postseason included. He kept that momentum rolling in Week 1, throwing for 245 yards and four touchdowns before being pulled in the fourth quarter with Jacksonville up 31.
Lawrence finished 18 of 23 and averaged 10.7 yards per completion, showing sharp pocket movement and plenty of confidence pushing the ball downfield. He also avoided the kind of mistakes that were a concern entering the year after his 12 interceptions in 2025 left him tied for the league lead.
“[Trevor] spread the ball around and trusted the guys around him to make plays,” Coen said. “I was definitely pleased with the way Trevor ran the offense today.”
The first quarter alone featured two Lawrence touchdown passes, and the second one was the 100th touchdown pass of his career. Parker Washington was a major reason the passing game looked so crisp, hauling in five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown before halftime. His day included a diving score that gave Jacksonville its first points of the season.
Lawrence also connected on scoring throws of 32 and 30 yards to Jakobi Meyers and Washington, and his 93.4 Total QBR reflected how cleanly he ran the offense.
“I feel really comfortable and really confident in what we're doing,” Lawrence said. “We gotta have a short memory and enjoy it tonight. It was awesome to get a win in Week 1.”
Jacksonville’s defensive line set the tone just as forcefully. Through Cleveland’s first four drives, the Browns managed only 34 total yards, with two three-and-outs and two takeaways mixed in. The Jaguars also bottled up the run, allowing just 87 rushing yards and no rushing touchdowns.
Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker were central to that pressure. The pair combined for three of Jacksonville’s five sacks and helped keep Cleveland from ever finding a rhythm on the ground.
“Just guys flying around, trying to make plays for the defense,” Hines-Allen said. “You know, [Travon] started it off … We may not win on the first rush, but we can track it down and give everything we can.”
Watson ended up as Cleveland’s leading rusher with six carries for 38 yards, much of that coming on scrambles or escapes from pressure in the backfield. Quinshon Judkins was held to 33 yards on 12 carries, and the Browns only made it into the red zone twice, coming away with just three points.
The linebackers added another layer to the defensive performance, with Ventrell Miller in particular turning in a breakout outing. He finished with a team-high 10 tackles, seven solo stops, two tackles for loss and a sack, while also forcing a fumble in the second quarter that set up a five-play, 44-yard touchdown drive. His third-quarter sack was the first of his NFL career, and his 94.6 PFF grade led the team.
“[Play] fast, violent, physical,” Miller said. “Hitting people with violence, attacking the ball, creating takeaways, stopping the run. The same thing over, like I said, taking it to the next level.”
Foyesade Oluokun also made his presence felt early, picking off Watson on Cleveland’s opening drive. He finished with four tackles, a pass deflection and an 89.9 PFF grade, second-best on the team.
“I'm so happy that we just came out with the juice,” Oluokun said. “I think that we can play with the right energy that came from our accountability all off-season, building up to this first game. We got to keep going.”
Branson Combs added to the depth at linebacker with four tackles and a sack on just 15 snaps, while Dennis Gardeck chipped in two tackles and a quarterback hit. Gardeck nearly forced a Watson fumble in the fourth quarter before replay ruled the Browns quarterback down.
Coen called it “a true team win,” and the opener had the look of one. The Jaguars’ offense was explosive, the defense was punishing, and both sides delivered the kind of performance that can set a tone fast.
Jacksonville heads to Denver next to face Bo Nix and the Broncos on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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