The Cleveland Browns' season got off to a horrific start as they got schooled from the start and lost 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Sunday's season opener.
Cleveland was down 24-0 at halftime and 31-0 later in the third quarter before scoring 10 points in garbage time. The Browns seemed as disjointed as ever on offense, and their defense got exposed early and often, especially in the secondary, with no real pressure put on the quarterback.
Let's grade each Browns position group after an ugly afternoon in Jacksonville.
Deshaun Watson was hardly the only problem with the Browns' offense
Quarterback: F
Deshaun Watson was awful. That's about all that you can say. From the opening drive, when he threw an interception, to the rest of the game, when he was sacked five times and fumbled twice, his lack of confidence on the field of play was exposed again.
Watson picked up from where he left off from the 2024 season, when he started 1-6 before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear. The fact that Browns head coach Todd Monken felt that Watson gave his team the best chance at wins this season was concerning to begin with. What we just watched in this first game should have team leadership questioning everything.
Running back: F
The run game was nonexistent for the Browns. The leading rusher was Watson with 38 yards. The starting running back, Quinshon Judkins, had 33 yards on 12 carries and a dismal 2.8 yards-per-carry average. Jacksonville's early multi-score lead made it tough, but if Cleveland doesn't get some more production on the ground, the season ahead could be brutal.
Wide receiver/tight end: C
The final grade went up after a garbage-time, 46-yard touchdown catch by rookie Denzel Boston. Outside of that play there wasn't much to get excited about. Cleveland's other rookie wide receiver, KC Concepcion, did catch four passes for 43 yards. Jerry Jeudy had two receptions along with tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
Offensive line: C
The all-new offensive line protected Watson the best that it could. There were several plays where Watson's indecisiveness led to him being sacked. Rookies Spencer Fano and Austin Barber held their own. Barber finished with an overall PFF grade of 81.6 on the day and was the only lineman with an overall grade above 70.
The line wasn't able to create much room for the running backs. The Browns will need to be better in that area if they're going to have a chance this season.
Cleveland's defense deserves just as much scrutiny after ugly Week 1 showing
Defensive line: D
While the defensive line seemed to improve some as the game went on, they were exposed early in the game. The edge rushers, including Jared Verse, were a non-factor and struggled to generate any pressure on the Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who finished with a QB rating of 150.6.
The defensive line was only able to generate pressure 17% of the time in this game. Lawrence was only pressured four times on 24 dropbacks.
Defensive backs: F
The secondary got gashed from the start. Veterans Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, Ronnie Hickman Jr., and Grant Delpit were getting picked apart all game long.
Lawrence had four touchdown passes as the Browns' secondary looked like they were playing a preseason game. Jacksonville scored on their first four drives. Lawrence finished the game with touchdown throws of 32 yards, 30 yards, 14 yards, and 4 yards.
Special teams: B
The one lone bright spot on the day was Cleveland's special teams unit. Andre Szmyt kicked a 26-yard field goal and made his lone extra point try. Corey Bojorquez had three punts for a 45-yard average.
The kick and punt return game was decent. Concepcion ran his lone punt return for 10 yards.
Reheim Sanders, Dylan Sampson, and Malachi Corley all ran back kick returns. Sampson opened the game as the kick returner, taking two back for 64 yards, which included one for 37 yards. Sanders almost took one to the house, going for 74 yards before getting caught deep in Jaguars territory.
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