There was no better opportunity for the Jacksonville Jaguars to bring a win to the Duval Devout in their house than Sunday at (Tr)EverBank Stadium hosting the shambled Cleveland Browns. The Browns came into NFL Week 2 with a banged-up offensive line, star running back Nick Chubb on the PUP list, tight end David Njoku on the injured reserve, and quarterback DeShaun Watson struggling mightily. The Jags coming away with an 18-13 loss wasn’t what they needed to right the ship.

The Good

Offensively, Brian Thomas Jr. is an absolute weapon. When he was hit on his second target of the day, he turned in 66 yards to finally turn in a play to put his squad within a score. This was about the same time late 3rd quarter when a big negative play killed the Jags’ chances last week last week. This was the best play of the day for Jacksonville with the football.

.@Trevorlawrencee with a beautiful long ball to @BrianThomas_11!#CLEvsJAX on CBS pic.twitter.com/ZSlA0WzeNy

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 15, 2024

Defensively, Josh Hines-Allen getting his first sack of 2024 would have taken points off the board without a highly questionable roughing the passer call on Devin Lloyd extending the Browns drive. Cleveland turned that into a first-drive touchdown instead. Also, the play of Jaguars defensive back Monteric Brown was a bright spot for the secondary. He was a big part of what kept the Jags from allowing only two 3rd down conversions on 14 tries.

The Bad

Jacksonville’s defensive line got gashed and ran on throughout the football game. For every short gain or tackle for loss the Jags accrued, it seemed the Browns would move on no matter how much defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen rotated players to keep their crew fresh. Compound that with letting DeShaun Watson have possibly his best first half as a member of the Browns completing eight of his first 10.

The self-inflicted wounds are also severely damaging for Jacksonville. Needing two timeouts on a single red zone drive so that when you have an opportunity to close the half with a meaningful possession, you can’t because the Browns let the clock run before kicking the field goal to go up 13-3 at halftime. And after that — all you manage is Cam Little’s 2nd career field goal. That was followed up late in the game with an illegal shift that canceled a potential go-ahead score.

Finally, the interior offensive line play allowed the Browns defensive front to seal the game with a safety. Giving up a play like that is probably the most embarrassing thing an NFL offensive line can experience as a unit.

The Spotty

Injuries — all teams have them. The Browns surely were riddled with plenty, but the surprise that hit Jacksonville on Sunday was daunting. Tight end Evan Engram was scratched with an injury during pregame warmup as one of a few players who missed time during the game. Head coach Kevin Stefanski and the Browns coaching staff at least had the opportunity to prepare and practice without their missing personnel. Head coach Doug Pederson and the Jags’staff were forced to adjust on the fly. While it may not have decided the game on it’s own, it certainly seems to be a factor.

The silver lining is that the Jaguars will have an extra day for guys to heal as they are set to travel to Buffalo to play Monday Night.