3 Keys to a Browns Victory Over the Jaguars

The Todd Monken era of the Cleveland Browns is officially here.

The Cleveland Browns start their regular season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a matchup in which the Vegas oddsmakers have the Jaguars favored to win by 8.5 points, and for good reason. The Jaguars finished the 2025 season averaging 32.8 points per game after their Week 8 bye.

Meanwhile, the Browns will start multiple rookies and second-year players, along with Deshaun Watson, who will not have appeared in an NFL game for 693 days by the time he takes the field. Despite this, there are still paths to a Cleveland Browns victory; after all, it is Week 1 of the NFL season, and anything can happen.

Force Turnovers Early and Often

If the Browns want to beat the Jaguars and defy the Vegas odds, they will likely need to force multiple turnovers. The Browns’ offense is young and inexperienced, meaning it could struggle to sustain drives. If the Browns’ defense can give offense the ball with favorable field position multiple times, victory becomes much more realistic.

Run the Football, Then Do It Some More

The Browns can make life much easier for their young, inexperienced offense by running the ball. Giving lead running back Quinshon Judkins 20-plus carries would help open the passing attack through play-action concepts and keep the defense honest.

#Browns OL Teven Jenkins went inside with a trainer during today's open portion of practice.

He had gotten tangled up during individual drills, but continued through them. A short time later, he left the field and headed into the facility. pic.twitter.com/5VAnWCo3mN
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) September 9, 2026

Whether the Browns can run successfully behind their rebuilt offensive line remains to be seen. The Browns are starting two rookies on the offensive line after Teven Jenkins suffered an injury at practice. However, if the Browns successfully run the ball with Judkins, victory would be within reach.

Clean Special Teams

During the 2025 season, the Browns allowed an NFL-high 522 punt-return yards under special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone.

One more table for this morning.

With another terrible game on special teams, the Cleveland Browns are now the 6th worst special teams DVOA through 13 games. pic.twitter.com/MJWOPwj3E6
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) December 8, 2025

In 2026, under a new coaching staff, the Browns’ special teams unit looks to be much better equipped to complement the offense and defense. The best way the unit can contribute against Jacksonville is to eliminate the mistakes of the past and let rookie KC Concepcion lead the return game.

Andre Szmyt is also an important factor. With little faith in the Browns’ ability to score touchdowns in the red zone, Cleveland may have to rely heavily on his leg. If Szmyt can convert each opportunity within his range, the Browns will have a chance to upset the Jaguars.

“So You're Saying There’s a Chance?”

As the saying goes, “Any given Sunday,” and nowhere is that more applicable than during the first week of the NFL season. If the Browns can force turnovers, run the ball effectively, and play clean special teams, they have a chance to start the year 1-0.

If they don’t, the result will feel all too familiar to Browns fans.

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