The Jaguars open the 2025 season at EverBank Stadium with plenty of familiar numbers hanging over this matchup with Cleveland - and a few fresh ones, too.
BetMGM has Jacksonville favored by 9 points as of Sept. 11, with the Jaguars sitting at -450 on the money line. Cleveland comes in at +333, and the over-under is 40.
The game will be televised on CBS with Tom McCarthy, Robert Turbin and Tiffany Blackmon on the call. Radio coverage is set for 1010-XL/92.5-FM with Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman and Bucky Brooks, while Spanish radio will air on 106.7-FM with Javier Carrero and Victor Cora.
Sirius XM Channel 814 will also carry the game.
Jacksonville enters at 13-4, while Cleveland is 5-12.
There’s one Jaguars injury to watch: LeQuint Allen Jr. is questionable with a hip issue. For the Browns, guard Teven Jenkins is out with a back injury, and center Peter Brailsford is questionable with a thumb injury.
The series has tilted Jacksonville’s way overall. The Jaguars lead 12-8 and are 5-5 at home, and their .600 winning percentage against Cleveland is the best they have against any NFL opponent.
Even so, the Browns have taken the last three meetings. Jacksonville’s last home win in the series came by a 24-6 score on Oct.
19, 2014.
The most recent meeting came on Sept. 15, 2024, when Cleveland jumped out to a 16-3 lead and held on for an 18-13 win. Deshaun Watson improved to 7-0 as a starter against the Jaguars after throwing for 186 yards and running for a touchdown. Trevor Lawrence finished 14 of 30 for 220 yards and was sacked for a safety late.
Up front, one matchup stands out: Jaguars guard Emmanuel Pregnon against Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham. Pregnon is a rookie who won his job in training camp after Patrick Mekari was injured.
Graham, meanwhile, was taken fifth in 2025 after the Browns acquired the pick from Jacksonville in the deal that sent the No. 2 selection to the Jaguars, who used it on Travis Hunter. Graham landed on almost every All-Rookie team in 2025 and posted the best pass rush win rate among all NFL rookie defensive players at 8.3 percent.
There’s plenty more tied to this opener. The Jaguars are 4-0 when they start a season against AFC North teams, and those games have come with a 54-point scoring differential.
Cleveland’s defense features two former Jaguars starters in middle linebacker Quincy Williams and cornerback Tyson Campbell. Browns coach Todd Monken spent 2007 through 2010 as Jacksonville’s wide receivers coach.
The Jaguars are 16-15 in season openers and 9-8 in openers at home.
Lawrence also has a milestone in reach. With two more touchdown passes, he would become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to reach 100 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns before turning 27. The others are Josh Allen, Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson.
And if Jacksonville wins, the streak gets even bigger. The Jaguars would run their regular-season winning streak to nine games, which would be the second-longest in franchise history. The 1999 team won 11 straight, and the eight-game run that closed 2025 matched the franchise streak from 1996 to 1997.
In Other News...
Jaguars Fans Heading To The Opener Need To Know This First
The Jaguars 2026 home opener against the Browns comes with a little more planning than usual, thanks to the ongoing renovations at EverBank Stadium. With seating capacity reduced, the team has put out detailed guidance on parking, traffic flow and which entry gates fans should use, a reminder that getting in and getting settled may take a bit more patience than it has in past Septembers.
The opener also doubles as the clubs 9/11 Remembrance game, so there will be added ceremony before kickoff. Along with the memorial observance, the Jaguars are planning a naturalization oath ceremony and recognition of military veterans, making it one of those early-season dates where the football, the pageantry and the logistics all come together at once. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Have A Week 1 Weapon Jaguars Cant Ignore
Clevelands quarterback picture remains one of the more intriguing parts of the Browns outlook, and it is part of what makes their Week 1 matchup with the Jaguars so tricky to handicap. Chris Pokorny pointed to the uncertainty under center, the defensive talent still on the roster, and the way first-time head coach Todd Monken could shape the offense as the Browns try to settle into a new identity heading into 2026.
For Jacksonville, the challenge is less about a single headline and more about the collective stress the Browns can put on a season opener. The trade of Myles Garrett changed the look of Clevelands defense, but the Browns still have enough pieces to make life difficult, and the quarterback conversation around Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders only adds another layer of unpredictability. When a team is still sorting out who it wants to be, it can be dangerous right away. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Are Still Betting On Deshaun Watson Against The Jaguars
Deshaun Watson is set to open the season as Clevelands starter, and the Browns are carrying that decision into a tough early stretch that includes the Jaguars in Week 1. Offensive coordinator Travis Switzer said Watson will be under center when the Browns line up against Jacksonville, while also noting the expectation that the quarterback will settle in more comfortably as the offense unfolds.
For Jacksonville, it adds another layer to a season opener that already had plenty of weight. The Browns are leaning on Watsons experience even with the injury concerns that have followed him, and they are planning to keep him in place for the next two games as well, including a matchup with Tampa Bay. It leaves the Jaguars preparing for a familiar name with a less familiar level of certainty around him. [Read more 🡒]