The Cleveland Browns will start the season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they are under immediate pressure to prove themselves. More specifically, veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson is under immense pressure after the heavily criticized decision to make him the starter.
Unfortunately for Watson, it doesn’t seem like he’ll start the season with an easy test. The Jaguars, overall, are expected to be a good team, and Jacksonville’s defense could make one thing especially tough for the Browns quarterback.
That one thing is protecting the football — something Watson has struggled with. The bad news is that Jacksonville’s defense has been good at taking the ball away.
Deshaun Watson could have a hard time protecting the ball against Jaguars’ aggressive defense
Jacksonville won 13 games in 2025, and while the Jaguars’ high-scoring offense was a big reason why, the defense contributed by forcing a lot of turnovers. Jacksonville had 31 takeaways last season, which ranked second in the NFL. Of those 31 forced turnovers, 22 were interceptions.
Obviously, it’s a new season, and it’s tough to know what will carry over year to year. Still, it’s safe to assume that taking the ball away is still a priority, and the Jaguars have plenty of defensive playmakers who can make that happen.
If there's one thing Browns fans unfortunately know about Watson, it’s that he will give defenses the opportunity to take the ball away. In the 19 games the quarterback has played with the Browns, he has 12 interceptions and 11 fumbles.
This year in training camp, Watson frequently put the ball in harm’s way, throwing a ton of interceptions throughout camp. That continued in the preseason, when the quarterback threw a pick in his second preseason appearance.
Unfortunately for the Browns, the only time Watson isn’t throwing interceptions is when he’s playing very conservative. At times, Watson shows hesitation to push the ball downfield, and while that can help with ball security, it also puts a ceiling on the offense.
So, if the Jaguars' defense is flying around in Week 1 like they were last season, there’s a chance that Deshaun Watson will either turn the ball over, or play incredibly conservative. Either would result in terrible starts to the year for the Browns.
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