Jaguars Report Card: Grading Liam Coen's Big Day and More After Browns Win

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The grades are in.

The Jacksonville Jaguars walked over the Cleveland Browns with relative ease in Week 1, and there are plenty of passing grades to go around as a result.

So, which Jaguars units impressed the most in the 34-10 Week 1 win? We break it down below with this week's grade report.

Coaching

LIA — Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken, left and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, right, meet at midfield at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I thought this was a well-executed game from the Jaguars. Let's start wtih Liam Coen, who oversaw an offense that finished No. 2 in success rate pre-Monday Night Football on both passing and running downs. Coen leaned on the run to set up the pass, spread the ball around to every key focal point on offense, and took advantage of the matchup that the Jaguars had in the slot with Parker Washington Jr.

Coen did not have to make too many serious in-game coaching decisions because this one was frankly over once the Jaguars went up 14-0. But I did think that kicking it on 4th-and-short to make it 17-0 was the right call over going for it, just because of the context and flow of the game. Were the Jaguars playing a tougher foe, I think that he probably goes for it.

On the defensive side of the ball, it looked like Anthony Campanile and his staff were prepared for everything the Browns had. It took a few plays to settle in, but the Jaguars matched all of the Browns' motions, jet sweeps, screens, and all of the other eye-candy that Todd Monken threw at them. Campanile had a good plan and shut down some quality skill players. The Jaguars looked like a well-oiled machine on both sides of the ball.

Grade: A

Pass Offense

trevor lawrenc — Sep 13, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to pass as Cleveland Browns defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) defends in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars' best plays of the day on offense all came from the passing game. Lawrence completed 10 of 11 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns on passes of 10+ air yards in Week 1, and Lawrence's three touchdowns on such passes were the most in a game in his career. Lawrence completed all eight of his intermediate passes (10-19 air yards) for 117 yards and a touchdown while completing two of three attempts for 62 yards and two touchdowns on deep passes (20+ air yards).

Lawrence looked as good as he has in his entire career, especially in terms of general down-to-down consistency. But it takes more than just the quarterback being hot for a team to be able to pass the ball at an effective rate, and that was exactly what the Jaguars got out of their offense on Sunday.

The receivers and tight ends all seemed to make plays when called to them, with Jakobi Meyers, Brenton Strange, Josh Cameron, Parker Washington, and Brian Thomas Jr. all making impressive grabs that required adjustment or were contested catches. The only player who was targeted who did not receive a catch was backup tight end Quintin Morris.

Jacksonville's offensive line also played well, posting the sixth-lowest pressure rate in a game during the Coen era. Jared Verse did not record a single pressure, and even the lone sack the Jaguars allowed to Mason Graham seemed more like a miscommunication than anything else.

Grade: A

Rush Offense

Sep 13, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) runs the ball in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I thought the Jaguars' running game did a lot of good things, and there were really just a few minor misses to clean up. Overall, the Jaguars had plenty of success in terms of staying ahead of the chains and not getting negative runs, with most of the Jaguars' third downs looking more like 3rd-and-5 than 3rd-and-longs. This effort was mostly led by second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten, who Coen said "ran his tail off," during Sunday's game.

Where can the running game improve? There were a few short-yardage plays where the Jaguars were not able to convert, which is one area that the Jaguars have stressed since the offseason. Other than those instances, though, it felt like the Jaguars were able to run the ball when they needed to.

Yeah, we had a couple short yardage plays that we didn't convert on. We didn't have a ton of third downs where we were behind the chains, which was nice. It was a lot of third-and-shorts. But I think some of the those short yardage runs we'll have to look at and see what we can do better as far as we weren't able to convert on a few of them.

Grade: B+

Pass Defense

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) celebrates his tackle on Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4), not shown, during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This was very, very close to being an A. If it were not for the bomb to Denzel Boston at the end of the game when the game was already far out of reach, the pass-defense earns a higher mark. Overall though, the Jaguars were able to pin their ears back and get after Watson thanks to the way the game script played out.

If there is any area the Jaguars could have improved in this area, it might be keeping offenses from attacking them on the outside with screens and quick passes. But otherwise, there is not a lot to say about a unit that forced the Browns to look rushed and uncomfortable all game.

Grade: B+

Rush Defense

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead (91) tackles Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) in the first quarter in an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jaguars lead 24-0 at the half. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Despite the Jaguars not playing with stacked boxes throughout the game due to the Browns having to lean on the pass, Jacksonville was able to stop the run throughout the entire course of the game, and it was pretty easily one of the worst games that the Browns have seen Quinshon Judkins has had in his short career.

It wasn't just the defensive line, either. The linebackers and defensive backs all tackeled very well in the run game and prevented the Browns from getting any yards after contact, which had previously been Judkins' strongest trait. The run defense looks as good as it did during teir elite run a year ago.

Grade: A+

Special Teams

heath farwel — Jacksonville Jaguars associate head coach/special teams coach Heath Farwell walks off the field after the sixth day of NFL training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Cam Little made two field goals, but the Jaguars allowed over 200 yards in kick return yardage and allowed a 70+ yard return. This was an area the Jaguars struggled in during the preseason, and it will be up to Heath Farwell and his unit to make sure it does not come back to bite the Jaguars when the quality of the opponent improves.

Grade: C

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