Jaguars-Browns Week 1 National Predictions Roundup: Are There Still Doubters?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The wait is over, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are back.

In a few short hours, the Jaguars will finally kick off the 2026 season with a home-opener against the underdog Cleveland Browns. The anticipation has ended, and today is when the Jaguars either begin their path back to the playoffs, or start to face some serious questions.

“I think you assume and understand it's probably not going to always be perfect. You have to go into it knowing that it may not always be perfect, but it does have to be violent, and it does have to be physical," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Friday. "We're all going to make mistakes, try to make them at a million miles an hour, and go play the next play. Like that's the mindset and mentality is trying not to focus on some of the anxieties or some of the things that could come up where every player, every coach is aware of those things in game one but, you try to go and let these guys go play and move on."

With Week 1 now on our doorsteps, it is time for us to take a weekly look around the NFL's national media landscape and see who is picking the Jaguars to win, and who is picking them to sta

Sports Illustrated

Albert Breer: Jaguars
Eva Geitheim: Jaguars
Mitch Goldich: Jaguars
Mike Kadlick: Jaguars
Gilbert Manzano: Jaguars
Conor Orr: Browns
John Pluym: Jaguars
Matt Verderame: Jaguars

ESPN

Mike Clay: Jaguars
Jeremy Fowler: Jaguars
Dan Graziano: Jaguars
Kalyn Kahler: Jaguars
Pamela Maldonado: Jaguars
Eric Moody: Jaguars
Jason Reid: Jaguars
Benjamin Solak: Jaguars
Lindsey Thiry: Jaguars
Seth Wickersham: Jaguars Matt Bowen: Jaguars

NFL.com

Jeremy Bergman: Jaguars
Brooke Cersosimo: Jaguars
Gennaro Filice: Jaguars
Bobby Kownack: Jaguars
Dan Parr: Jaguars

The Athletic

Joe Buscaglia: Jaguars
Jon Greenberg: Jaguars
Larry Holder: Jaguars
Nick Kosmider: Jaguars
Josh Kendal: Jaguars
Austin Mock: Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars On SI Analysis

In short, the Jaguars got a staggering 29-out-of-30 votes to win the game. This isn't surprising since the Jaguars are coming off a 13-4 season and returning virtually every key player from that team, while the Cleveland Browns have a new staff and have won just eight games over the last two seasons. For those reasons, and due to the Jaguars' looming schedule, it is fair to say this is as must-win as Week 1 games go.

I believe the Jaguars should win this game for a number of reasons: the talent difference at the most important position on the field between Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson is clear, the Jaguars have a deep cache of weapons, and the Jaguars have the run defense to slow down the Browns' running game.

That does not mean there are not some plausible scenarios in which the Jaguars could struggle. If they turn the ball over or let Jared Verse wreck the game, things could get dicey. But the Jaguars have the better roster and, on paper, this should be a game they win. I have the Jaguars 27, Browns 13.

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