How to Watch Jaguars' Season-Opener vs. Browns, and What to Watch For

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are about to finally play some football.

In two days, the Jacksonville Jaguars will officially kick off the 2026 season against Todd Monken and the Cleveland Browns, and the race to another AFC South title will officially be on.

So, how can you watch the Jaguars' Week 1 battle with the Browns and what should you keep an eye on? We break it all down below.

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Monday, April 20, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

How to Watch

Sunday's contest will be the second time in three years the Jaguars will host a home opener against the Browns, with the first game coming in Week 2 of the 2024 season. The Jaguars are 12-8 all-time against the Browns (5-5 at home) and their .600 winning percentage is the highest against any single opponent in franchise history.

Location: EverBank Stadium
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Time: 1 p.m. ET
How to watch/listen: CBS/1010 XL/92.5 FM Jax Sports Radio
Play-by-play: Tom McCarthy (TV), Frank Frangie (Radio)
Analysts: Robert Turbin (TV), Jeff Lageman (Radio)
Sideline reporter: Tiffany Blackmon (TV), Bucky Brooks (Radio)

What to Watch For

The Jaguars' WR Trio

If there is one room with sky-high expectations on the Jaguars' depth chart this season, it is the wide receiver unit with Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers -- in addition to any snaps that Travis Hunter spends at the wide receiver room, but more on that later. Jacksonville was one of four teams last season with three receivers totaling 40-plus receptions, 450-plus receiving yards and 10.0-plus yards per reception between Thomas, Washington and Meyers, and the goals are even higher this season.

Against a Browns' secondary that has some gifted corners on the outside but more questions in the slot, it will be interesting to see how the Jaguars deploy their wideouts. Will they let Washington get easy wins in the slot, or spread the ball around and attempt to attack the Browns at all levels of the field? We will find out soon enough.

Travis Hunter's Return

It certainly appears clear what kind of role Jaguars' cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter will play in Week 1. He is going to be a starting cornerback who is going to get some snaps at wide receiver, though his exact usage on the offensive side of the ball remains to be seen. But a bigger storyline than his usage is the sheer fact that Sunday will mark the official return of Hunter back to the field after last November's knee injury.

Sunday will be just the eighth game of Hunter's career, and each game he stacks is more and more important to his development. He is all systems go ahead of Week 1 and is going to be a big part of whatever the result is, but the important thing is that the Jaguars and Hunter faced a relatively smooth road back to the field.

Who Leads the Backfield?

If there is one major difference with the Jaguars' offense entering the 2026 season, it is the running back room. The unit was led in all categories by Travis Etienne a year ago, and now the Jaguars will lean on new veteran running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. and second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten, who played a limited role as a rookie that mostly featured a focus on short-yardage runs. With Etienne no longer the workhorse of the running back room, the entire dynamics of the rushing attack have changed.

With that change comes the age old question of who is on top of the depth chart, and whether one of Rodriguez or Tuten will lead the Jaguars' backfield moving forward. Week 1 will be our first real chance to get some answers after the two evenly split time with the first-team offense during training camp. With no preseason games to go off of, this will be our first chance to see if Tuten or Rodriguez -- or neither -- is the Jaguars' new lead back.

Add us as a preferred source on Google