1st and Goal: Deshaun Watson starts at quarterback in Week 1 game at Jacksonville
The Cleveland Browns open their 2026 season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are the underdogs in the matchup which isn’t much of a surprise. Cleveland has quarterback Deshaun Watson starting in this Week 1 matchup despite not having played a game since October of 2024 after suffering another achilles injury. He wasn’t successful when he got injured as his team only had a record of 1-6 at that time and I don’t expect much to change in this game or for the season for that matter.
Watson was not that good in the limited action he had in the preseason games either. So the Browns new head coach Todd Monken better hope that Watson can magically become better overnight.
Unfortunately, that isn’t likely to happen. The Browns will have their backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders ready to enter the game if Watson looks bad. I wouldn’t suspect Monken wants to change quarterbacks so early in the season but Watson isn’t a fan favorite in Cleveland either so the public outcry will likely grow each week Watson is playing and the Browns are losing.
2nd and Goal: Time to watch the rookies
Browns fans will at least have some new and talented rookies to watch this season. After drafting a talented group of rookies a season ago including Carson Schwesinger, Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin the team drafted a new group that could be just as special.
They drafted offensive lineman Spencer Fano, wide receiver KC Concepcion, wide receiver Denzel Boston and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The Browns are desperate this season to improve their offense and while I think drafting the wide receivers is a great move they have to have a quarterback that can get them the ball and I don’t believe Watson can do that on a consistent basis.
3rd and Goal: The Browns success in NFL openers isn’t very good
It’s been well documented about the Browns poor Week 1 record dating back to 1999. They have a 3-22-1 record in those games. Last season they lost in Week 1 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cleveland’s former head coach Kevin Stefanski had a 2-4 record in Week 1 games. We will see what new head coach Todd Monken can do in his first game. The last Week 1 victory for the Browns happened three years ago against the Bengals.
4th and Goal: The Final Week 1 Prediction
While Week 1 games are difficult to predict because both teams are still trying to get their feet wet, I don’t think in the Browns case that it will help much in producing a victory.
They will be on the road in hot and humid Florida. The early crowd could get behind the home team early. Unless the Browns can get an early lead it could be a long day for the good guys.
Final score
Jaguars 27
Browns 13
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