The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t play a snap on opening night, but they still came away with a real boost from the NFL’s first game of the 2026 season.
Seattle’s 13-10 win over New England on Wednesday night gave Jacksonville some useful information ahead of its Week 1 opener against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon. And a lot of that information pointed in the Jaguars’ favor.
Start with Drake Maye, who has not looked like the same quarterback fans saw torch defenses for most of last season. His last four starts have come against what might be three of the league’s best defenses - Houston, Denver and Seattle - but the results have still been rough.
He has talent, no doubt. He can beat teams with his arm and his legs.
But right now, he looks like a quarterback searching for answers, not one riding a wave of confidence.
The numbers on his deep throws tell the story. On his last 25 passes thrown 20 or more air yards, Maye has completed 6 of 25 for a 24.0% rate, with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
That matters for Jacksonville because this is the exact kind of matchup that looked far scarier a few weeks ago. When the schedule was set earlier in the offseason, the Patriots seemed like a heavyweight test.
They had won the AFC a year ago, Maye was being talked about as a near-MVP, and they had added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
But after one game, that shine has faded fast.
New England didn’t look explosive on either side of the ball against Seattle, and Josh McDaniels looked overmatched as offensive coordinator. The Patriots had the same issues they carried into the Super Bowl, and for all the preseason buzz, they don’t look like a team that should already be getting placed among the AFC’s elite.
They might be fine. But that’s a long way from the way people were talking about them a month ago.
There’s also the matter of Brown’s health. It was reported Thursday morning that Brown is dealing with a high ankle sprain after he got injured in the second half on Wednesday night.
It’s too early to know exactly how much time he’ll miss, but his status for Jacksonville’s matchup with New England in two weeks is clearly uncertain. Even if he does suit up in 17 days in Jacksonville, he likely won’t be close to 100%.
That would matter a lot for an offense that already looked shaky. The Patriots struggled for much of Wednesday night against an elite Seahawks defense, and they are not the first offense to have problems against Mike Macdonald’s group. If Brown is sidelined, New England’s passing game loses even more of the firepower it needs to consistently challenge defenses.
And that is where the Jaguars come in. If the Patriots are missing Brown - or if he’s playing at less than full strength - Anthony Campanile and Jacksonville’s pass defense suddenly have a much easier job ahead of them. What looked like a difficult early test now looks far more manageable.
In Other News...
Jaguars Face A Fanbase Shift Jacksonville Wont Be Able To Ignore
The Jaguars are about to spend a season in a very different kind of home setup, with their 2027 games moving to Camping World Stadium in Orlando while their own stadium goes through a massive renovation. The project is already reshaping the teams 2026 home capacity, and the temporary move adds another layer to a stretch that already includes two home games in London, making the familiar rhythms of Jaguars football a lot less familiar.
Orlando has never hosted a regular-season NFL game before, so the switch will be more than a logistical detour for Jacksonville. It will give the organization a chance to see how its fanbase travels, how much local interest can be built outside Northeast Florida, and how much of the clubs identity can survive being spread across different cities for a season. For a franchise that has spent years trying to strengthen its home-field feel, the next chapter could be revealing in ways that go well beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Suddenly Have A Crucial Week 1 Backfield Question
LeQuint Allens return to the practice field this week gave the Jaguars at least a little more clarity heading into Sundays opener, though not enough to settle the backfield picture just yet. After missing previous weeks with a soft tissue injury, the rookie running back was limited in Thursdays practice, a meaningful step for a player who has been working to get healthy in time for Week 1 against the Browns.
Even with that progress, Liam Coen said Allen remains a game-time decision, which leaves Jacksonville waiting on one of the more quietly important pieces of its offensive plan. Grant Udinski has already singled out Allens pass protection as a key part of what he brings, so the Jaguars are not just monitoring his health but also weighing how much they can rely on him if he is available on Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Opener Will Show If Trevor Lawrence And This Hype Are Real
The Jaguars head into their opener against Cleveland with a sense that this season should tell a real story about where Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the operation stand. Liam Coen is back for his second year, most of the coaching staff remains intact, and Lawrence is coming off a strong previous season with enough continuity around him to make Jacksonville look like a team ready to push forward.
Still, the first test comes with a few things that could shape how smooth that push actually is. Jacksonville has questions in the backfield and up front, even with key pieces returning, and the Browns bring their own reset under a new head coach and defensive coordinator. With Deshaun Watson set to start after a long injury absence, the opener should offer an early read on how real the Jaguars optimism is, and how much of it survives contact with a defense that will be trying to spoil the party. [Read more 🡒]