3 Halftime Thoughts on Jaguars-Browns: The Trevor Lawrence/Deshaun Watson Gap is Enormous

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --It is halftime, and it is time to take stock on the first half of the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 1 battle with the Cleveland Browns.

So, what did we see from the Jaguars during the opening half of the 2026 season, and what does it mean for the rest of the game? We break it down below as the Jaguars enter the locker room with a 24-0 lead.

Deshaun Watson Really is that Bad

I have seen some poor quarterback performances at EverBank Stadium since I started covering the team in 2019. There was the entire 2020 season, Jets and Titans games, a few Bryce Young games, but Deshaun Watson's first half against the Jaguars might have been worse than any of them. It is truly staggering just how bad he looked, especially in comparison to Trevor Lawrence looking mostly flawless for the Jaguars. The Jaguars needed to take advantage of the gap between the signal-callers, and that is exactly what we saw them do.

Watson threw a woeful interception to Foyesade Oluokun on the fifth play from scrimmage, nearly threw a second pick to Oluokun on the second drive, and then started to take some brutal sacks on the third drive that ended with Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen splitting the sack. Lawrence looked like a franchise quarterback, while Watson put together one of the most shameful excuses of quarterback play I have seen on these grounds. Well then.

The RB Pecking Order

The Jaguars answered some early questions about their running back rotation with the way they started the game. Bhayshul Tuten was the first running back on the field for the Jaguars and he got the first two carries of the game, with Chris Rodriguez not hitting the field until the fourth offensive snap of the game. The workload was about even, with the Jaguars giving Tuten six carries and Rodriguez five carries through the first four drives of the game.

Rodriguez clearly is the Jaguars' short-yardage back, getting all of the work on the third- and second-and-shorts and in the red-zone. It sure felt like Tuten was the tone-setter for the running game and is the one the Jaguars really leaned on when they wanted to move the ball and set up explosive run plays. Tuten averaged over six yards a play during the first four drives of the game and looks as improved as the Jaguars' hoped.

Washington's Price Will Continue to Go Up

Parker Washington sure looked like the Jaguars' No. 1 receiver on Sunday, and that was even before Brian Thomas Jr. went down with a shoulder injury in the second-quarter. Washington led the day off with a 30-yard touchdown catch and he never really slowed down. Washington had 83 yards before the Jaguars' last drive of the second-half, and it looked like he was running routes on air

Fantasy managers rejoice 📈 @CPW11_ | #CLEvsJAX on CBSpic.twitter.com/RNEqOzhhm4
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 13, 2026

Washington is simply not going to get any cheaper. It is clear that he is betting on himself to have a big season, and with plays like the ones he made on Sunday, it feels pretty clear that he has a good chance of hitting all of his goals. Washington looked exactly as advertised on Sunday, and his price is not going down anytime soon.

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