The Cleveland Browns are set to open their Week 1 contest on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A lot of time and effort has been put into this roster ever since Todd Monken was hired as the new head coach.
There are many exciting aspects from last year, and as with every team, there remain some concerns. Mostly with this year’s version, Cleveland will start off their first game with five new offensive linemen. In the history of the NFL, has that ever happened before? The offensive line must
be a cohesive unit of five men instead of five individuals.
RELATED: WEEK 1 TV MAP
And right out of the gate, the Browns must face the Jaguars. This year, Cleveland wants to run the ball effectively. Last year, Jacksonville was ranked #1 against the run.
Let’s look at three things the Browns must accomplish to defeat the Jaguars.
Will this year’s defense continue to dominate?
Cleveland had one of the best defenses in the league last season, but that was under defensive guru Jim Schwartz, who is no longer with the franchise. Monken stated early on that the team would follow Schwartz’s scheme.
Monken stated seven months ago:
“First off, my anticipation is we’re not going to change the system. Very difficult to go against. They can be rest assured that we’re going to keep the same system.”
Which the Browns will need. Jacksonville has a very good offense and has added some pieces to this group since last year, including rookie draft pick Emmanuel Pregnon, who will start at left guard. The franchise also drafted two tight ends and two receivers.
Their offense ranked #11 in 2025, averaging 337.4 yards a game on that side of the ball and scoring 55 touchdowns.
The key for the defense is to stop the passing attack. Last year, this group averaged 222.3 yards a game passing and threw on any down regardless of down-and-distance. Throwing on first down was a regular occurrence for this offense, which shows confidence.
If the Browns defense can throttle their aerial game, it will force them to run more. This was the Jags’ Achilles heel last year as they ranked in the bottom third in rushing and averaged 115.1 yards a game on the ground. Add the fact that their bell-cow running back, Travis Etienne, is no longer on the roster, and their starter this year was a fourth-round draft pick in 2025 who has zero NFL starts.
This defense needs to be stout in the defensive backfield because Jacksonville and QB Trevor Lawrence are going to air it out. The Browns will lean on their cornerbacks, Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, and Myles Harden, to give but not break and force the Jaguars to run the ball instead.
Quick note: The Browns’ defensive backfield has gone 45 consecutive games without giving up 300+ passing yards to an opposing quarterback. The team could reach the all-time record by Week 8 of this season.
Keep out Jacksonville’s pass rush
Like Cleveland, the Jaguars have a very good pass rush. And it comes from the corners. They generate a decent pass rush with LDE Travon Walker and RDE Josh Hines-Allen coming off the edge.
The Browns will depend greatly on the skills of RT Tytus Howard and LT Spencer Fano, a rookie. The Fano vs. Hines-Allen just might determine quite a few things in this ballgame. What is that called? Baptism by fire?
Walker is a beast but had an off-year last season with a wrist injury; he just signed a four-year, $110 million extension to keep him in-house. In 2023 and 2024, he had 10.5 sacks in both seasons, with 113 total tackles and 34 QB hits. He knows how to bring the heat and is showing why he was the first overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Hines-Allen has a leaner build and was another first-round draft pick. He was exceptional in college and totaled 61 sacks while at Kentucky in a tough conference. As a senior, he was named the “SEC Defensive Player of the Year” and won four awards: the Lott Trophy, Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, and the Jack Lambert Trophy.
In the 2023 NFL season, Hines-Allen racked up 17.5 sacks and has 61 for his career. His quickness off the edge and a fast first step are his calling cards. 75 tackles for loss, 150 QB hits, and 239 pressures are why he is such a menace.
Can Fano contain Hines-Allen? Stay tuned.
Attack the “A” and “B” gaps on Jacksonville’s offense
Cleveland must have success up the middle in these four running lanes. Lawrence has a good arm and can’t be allowed to set up and go through his progressions and set up the short passing game.
This Browns defense has to have constant pressure on Lawrence every time he drops back to pass. If he is able to set his feet at will, it will become a very long day. He can throw into tight windows when he has time to survey the field, and can throw long. If Lawrence has to move around and consider fleeing the pocket, his attention is diverted from where his receivers and tight end are going.
This responsibility will fall squarely on the starting defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Mason Graham, plus their rotational backups Mike Hall and Adin Huntington.
Jacksonville’s interior of their offensive line is their weakest point. As mentioned, they are starting rookie Pregnon at left guard, who should be tested over his outside shoulder in order to see if he has the right combination of agility and can maintain anchor.
Starting right guard Patrick Mekari missed most of training camp with back issues and finally had back surgery on August 17. The Jaguars placed him on IR with a designation to return. In his place is Ezra Cleveland, who has dealt with an ankle injury during camp.
The only healthy interior lineman is center Robert Hainsey, who is entering his sixth NFL season. By placing pressure on the guards who have limited experience, this forces their mental processing to become slower and tend to struggle when they are required to pass off defenders who are on the move rather than blocking a stationary man.
Keeping Lawrence out of his comfort zone will be a huge key to this game with containment.
Stunts and twists should be in order. To accomplish this, the DT will take his penetration and crash down on the guard towards the tackle. This will allow an opening for the defensive end to loop around and have a shot at Lawrence for the sack, or at the very least, make his attempt to escape the pocket, which interrupts any passing attempt.
And even though Lawrence is a gifted runner, if he comes out of a damaged pocket and then attempts to scramble for yardage, that duty is now handed off to linebackers Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams. Both are dependable tacklers.
What do you think the keys to the game are for the Browns versus the Jaguars in Week 1?
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
