The Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely dominated the Cleveland Browns at home, walking away with an easy Week 1 victory.
A Jaguars victory was expected, but the team not only looked impressive, they made it look effortless. Jacksonville remained in control through the entire game, sending exactly the message the team was hoping to send to the league after an offseason of being doubted.
Here are three things we learned after the 34-10 win.
The Travis Etienne, Devin Lloyd decisions paid off
Analysts strongly criticized the decision to let Travis Etienne walk in free agency, arguing that neither Chris Rodriguez nor Bhayshul Tuten could replace him. Through it all, head coach Liam Coen stressed that Jacksonville was going to use a committee approach at the position rather than look to have one running
back be an Etienne replacement.
Sunday's game showed this approach in real time, and it paid off. Tuten was the clear leader, with 15 carries for 66 yards, but Rodriguez had a strong complementary role, and Ameer Abdullah had some impressive carries, too. Altogether, the rushing game looked strong, and there was no sign that the offense was missing Etienne.
Similarly, on defense, it was assumed that there would be huge struggles without Lloyd. Instead, the defense stomped all over the Browns. Cleveland had less than 300 yards of total offense, and there were multiple Jaguars with strong production. Ventrell Miller had one of the biggest games of his career, with 10 total tackles; Foyesade Oluokun had an interception, and Browns QB DeShaun Watson was sacked five — yes, five — times. Miller and Oluokun especially performed well enough to silence the critics, and prove that they're more than capable of replacing Lloyd.
The Jacksonville passing game looks strong
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was an MVP finalist last year, and he looked the part again today. He went 18/23 for 245 yards and four touchdowns, for a passer rating of 150.6. Similarly, he had no shortage of weapons to utilize. Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, and Brian Thomas Jr. all turned in good performances; Brenton Strange likewise hauled in two catches for 23 yards.
This again lends to Coen's committee approach, and sends a strong message to the rest of the league. Jacksonville has a quarterback who once again looks like an MVP, and he has multiple weapons he can use to beat you with.
Jaguars' defensive identity remains intact
In 2025, Jacksonville had the best run defense in the league, and were a top 10 unit overall. Again, there was some skepticism about how the defense would perform without Lloyd, but Anthony Campanile showed that the defense was still one of the best units in the league.
The Jaguars continued to be elite in stopping the run, holding Quinshon Judkins to just 33 yards, forcing two turnovers, and recording five sacks with six tackles for loss. Yes, the Browns offense was never going to be much of a threat, but the Jacksonville defense kept them neutralized the entire game, with the only Cleveland touchdown coming within the final 2:00 of the game.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 3 things learned after Jaguars' Week 1 win over Browns
