Jaguars-Browns: 3 Things to Watch

What will be the keys to a Jacksonville Jaguars win vs. the Cleveland Browns in Week 2?

Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) warms up before the game between the Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are facing an early-season must-win scenario in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, but how can they make it happen?

We examine the key things to watch when the Jaguars take on the Browns at EverBank Stadium, which includes the ultimate keys to a potential win or loss.

With that said, here are three things to watch on Sunday:

Trevor Lawrence against the Browns' pass-rush

While the Jaguars' pass-rush could have its own advantages against the Browns' offensive line, the Jaguars will need to ensure they can avoid the Browns' own pass rushers.

There will be a big focus on Anton Harrison and Cam Robinson at offensive tackle, but it will be just as important for Lawrence to make smart decisions in the pocket.

Lawrence took one bad sack at a critical time last week, and he can't afford to do it a second time against an even better defensive front.

The Jaguars' youth movement in the secondary

The Jaguars' secondary is going to look a lot different this week than it did last Sunday. The Jaguars are going to be without both Tyson Campbell and Darnell Savage, arguably the team's two best defensive backs.

In their place will be Montaric Brown and then one of Jarrian Jones, De'Antre Prince, Tre Flowers, or any other player the Jaguars bring up to the roster. If it is Jones, Prince, or practice squad cornerback Christian Braswell, then the Jaguars will be rolling with two young starters.

“Yeah, it's a lot of confidence and I can't say enough good things. He's done a nice job when he's been in there, whether he's started or came in off the bench. Gets an opportunity this week to play a lot and just continues to grow as a young player," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Friday about Brown.

Can the Jaguars avoid the dreaded 0-2 start?

Every team in the NFL knows how hard it is come back from 0-2. While not impossible, each team has a significantly higher chance to make the playoffs at either 1-1 or 2-0.

But the loser of this game will be the team that will have to beat history. The Jaguars are positioned well considering it is a home game, but that doesn't change the importance of this contest.

Per the NFL:

"Since 1990, history has shown that teams that are victorious in their season openers are more than twice as likely to advance to the playoffs as teams that lose their opener (54.2 percent; 285 of 526 teams). However, an 0-1 start is not impossible to overcome, as 25 percent of teams (131 of 525) since 1990 that lost a season opener advance to the playoffs, including four teams in 2023 – the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers."

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