There were plenty of questions around the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2026 season kicked off. Could Trevor Lawrence take another step?
Could Liam Coen’s offense keep rolling after last year’s AFC South title run? And could Jacksonville turn all that promise into the kind of win that looks like a team ready for more?
On Sunday at EverBank Stadium, the answer came fast and loud. The Jaguars flattened the Cleveland Browns 34-10, sprinting to a 24-0 halftime lead and pushing it to 31-0 early in the third quarter before the starters went into cruise control.
Trevor Lawrence set the tone from the jump. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns, didn’t throw an interception and finished with a career-best 150.6 passer rating.
Even more telling than the numbers was how effortless it all looked. Jacksonville opened with touchdowns on its first two drives, with Lawrence hitting Parker Washington for 30 yards and then rookie Josh Cameron for a four-yard score.
He added another touchdown to Brenton Strange in the second quarter and later found Jakobi Meyers for a 32-yard score on the opening drive of the second half.
Cleveland never really got a chance to settle in against him. The Browns couldn’t generate consistent pressure, couldn’t sort out Jacksonville’s looks and couldn’t keep the receivers in check. Seven different Jaguars caught a pass in the first half alone.
That’s the version of Lawrence Jacksonville needs if it’s serious about making a run. He finished 2025 playing some of the best football of his career, and on Sunday he looked like a quarterback fully in control of what this offense can be.
The defense backed him up with a suffocating performance of its own. Cleveland finished with 272 total yards, though that total is softened by late production after Jacksonville had already built a 34-0 lead. Through the first half, the Browns managed only 95 net yards and five first downs.
The tone was set immediately when Deshaun Watson’s first regular-season start since 2024 ended after five plays, with Foyesade Oluokun intercepting him and shutting down a Browns drive inside the Jacksonville 20-yard line. From there, the pressure kept building.
Cleveland punted on its next three possessions, then K.C. Concepcion Jr. fumbled in the second quarter and Josh Hines-Allen recovered it before Jacksonville turned that mistake into another touchdown.
By halftime, the game was gone for Cleveland.
The pass rush was relentless. Hines-Allen finished with two sacks, while Travon Walker, Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs each added one. Jacksonville also forced two turnovers and held the Browns to one conversion on eight third-down chances.
What made the offensive performance so impressive was that it went well beyond Lawrence. The Jaguars scored on six of their first seven possessions, and the ball moved all over the field. Parker Washington led the way with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Brenton Strange and Josh Cameron all chipped in.
The variety stood out. Jacksonville attacked Cleveland with deep shots, quick throws, play-action, screens and passes both outside the numbers and over the middle. The Browns kept getting hit with something different, and they never found a clean answer.
The run game helped keep the offense balanced, too. Bhayshul Tuten carried 15 times for 66 yards, and Jacksonville ran the ball 32 times overall. That kept the Browns from being able to pin their ears back on every snap.
It was a complete opening-day showing. Lawrence was outstanding, the defense was ferocious and Coen’s offense had enough answers to keep Cleveland on its heels from start to finish.
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Brian Thomas Jr. Just Put Jacksonvilles Biggest Passing Game Concern Back In Focus
Brian Thomas Jr. briefly sent a ripple through the Jaguars opener when he went down with a shoulder injury in the first quarter against the Browns and was first listed as questionable to return. He made his way back to the sideline and then re-entered the game in the second quarter, which offered an immediate sense of relief for a team counting on him to be a major part of the passing attack this season.
The episode still brought back the questions that followed him through training camp, where the shoulder issue had already been part of the background. For Jacksonville, that is the kind of scare that matters beyond one series or one game, because Thomas is expected to be one of the key pieces in a passing game that cannot afford many more reminders of how fragile its early-season outlook can be. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Defense Flipped Deshaun Watsons Return In Just One Drive
Deshaun Watsons return to a regular-season game came with plenty of buildup, but Jacksonville wasted no time turning the opener into a test. On Clevelands first drive, Watson threw an interception on his first regular-season snap in nearly two years, and Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun brought it back to set up a touchdown for Jacksonville.
Watson had won the Browns Week 1 job after a full-camp competition, and the game marked his first regular-season start since October 2024. For the Jaguars, it was the kind of fast start that can reshape an opener in an instant, especially when the defense is the one delivering the early jolt. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Week 1 Opener Could Bring A Problem Fans Dread
Week 1 brings the usual opening-day buzz, but for fans heading to Jacksonvilles opener against Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 13, the forecast adds a familiar late-summer wrinkle. Weather across the NFL slate could be unsettled, and the game is among the ones drawing attention as conditions are expected to be the kind that can turn a clean September afternoon into a messy one in a hurry.
For the Jaguars, the concern is less about the calendar and more about the experience, since rain delays and slippery conditions can quickly change how a season opener feels in the stands and on the field. Fans planning to be there should keep an eye on local weather updates and follow safety guidance if storms move in, because this is the sort of situation that can linger right up until kickoff. [Read more 🡒]