JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns, opening the season much like he closed last year, and the Jacksonville Jaguars dominated rebuilding Cleveland 34-10 on Sunday to spoil the debut of new Browns coach Todd Monken.
The Jaguars scored on six of their first seven possessions, with Lawrence connecting with Parker Washington, rookie Josh Cameron, Brenton Strange and Jakobi Meyers for touchdowns. Three of four
targets were wide open.
Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes and finished with a career-high rating of 150.6. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the league down the stretch in 2025 while leading the Jaguars to the AFC South title.
Jacksonville entered this fall as a trendy pick to return to the postseason and maybe reach its first Super Bowl. The opener was a solid start.
Washington, a pending free agent who’s in contract negotiations with Jacksonville, made a diving catch on Lawrence's first TD pass and flashed a “pay me” sign to the 42,000 in attendance at EverBank Stadium.
Lawrence made it look easy against a defense that traded five-time All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett in the offseason and was entering its first season under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
Cleveland had equally troubling issues on the other side of the ball.
Deshaun Watson, making his first start in nearly two years, threw an interception on the opening drive. He nearly threw another one on the team’s second possession and later recovered his own fumble to avoid a turnover.
Rookie receiver KC Concepcion Jr. also fumbled, and the Browns were penalized 11 times for 75 yards. They also went just 1 for 8 on third down and failed to score a touchdown on two trips inside the 20-yard line.
Cleveland finished with 272 yards and two highlights: Raheim Sanders returned a kickoff 74 yards to set up a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Watson connected with Denzel Boston for a 46-yard TD with 1:52 remaining.
Browns: RB Dylan Sampson (knee) was ruled out in the first half. LG Zion Johnson (left knee) left in the first half but later returned.
Jaguars: DE B.J. Green (elbow) was ruled out at halftime. WR Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder) went to the locker room in the second quarter but returned for the final series of the first half.
Jaguars right tackle Cole Van Lanen started the opener eight months after knee surgery. Van Lanen tore a ligament in his right knee in the regular-season finale, missed most of training camp and didn’t play a down in the preseason. But he managed to make it back in time for the Browns.
He played the first half before giving way to backup Walker Little. It was a fairly quick return for a 312-pound lineman.
Browns play at Tampa Bay next Sunday.
Jaguars play at Denver next Sunday.
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