Three key takeaways from Browns' Week 1 loss to Jaguars

The Cleveland Browns are looking at a long season. 

Aside from maybe the Miami Dolphins, there's no team in the NFL right now with as little hope for its season as Cleveland, especially after its disastrous season debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

It wasn't that the Browns lost; it was how inept the club looked in its 34-10 shellacking. It was a constant assault by the Jaguars all game long, on every side of the ball. Cleveland didn't outperform Jacksonville in any measurable category, and any bright spots were individual highlights at best. 

This has left many wondering just how bad this club is. After all, every concern about this team has essentially become a confirmed fact at this point. The quarterback play was atrocious, the defense looks lost without Myles Garrett and Jim Schwartz and it seemed like first-time head coach Todd Monken didn't know what he was doing.

And yet, those weren't the biggest takeaways from the first game of the season. 

The three biggest takeaways from the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 loss to Jacksonville Jaguars

The Cleveland Browns lack any real pass rush

Jared Verse is a fine player and, on a better defense, would be a huge asset for the club. Sadly, you're asking a dual-threat defensive end who is more geared for stopping the run to replace the sack production of Myles Garrett. That's not going to happen. The team over-relied on Garrett for years to carry its ability to get after the quarterback. It's now in no position to really do so without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Without Garrett, this club will likely be in the bottom portion of the league in sacks come the end of the year. Of the club's 53 sacks in 2025, Garrett is attributed to 23 of them, a regular-season league record. Without Garrett, the club goes from third in total team sacks to tied for 27th in the league. 

The offensive line looks worse than ever

The running game on Sunday looked horrid, with Quinshon Judkins only rushing for 33 yards on 12 carries. The leading rusher was, in fact, Deshaun Watson, who gained 38 yards on the ground. Mostly because he was running for his life. Watson was sacked five times, and while a few were his fault for not stepping into the pocket, others weren't. 

Too many fans were optimistic because the Browns signed below-average starting-caliber offensive linemen like Tytus Howard, Teven Jenkins, Elgton Jenkins (no relation) and Zion Johnson. There were miscommunication issues, penalties, missed assignments and false starts all game. This was not a competent-looking offensive line. The fact that the Browns spent as much as they did on these four acquisitions (a combined $122 million) and got this type of performance is unacceptable. 

The team has no discipline

While the offensive line was the biggest culprit, this team has no real discipline to speak of. The club committed 11 total penalties, which is a true sign that a team isn't well coached. The defense alone was called for three neutral zone infractions. The offensive line committed one mistake after another. Elgton Jenkins lost track of the clock and didn't get a snap off in time on a silent count. Then, of course, there was the debacle that was the end of the half.

In the span of five plays, the Browns committed four offensive penalties that killed their drive. Johnson had two holding calls against him; Howard jumped offsides and Watson was called for a delay of game. 

It was truly one of the worst performances we've seen from this team in some time.