The Cleveland Browns (0-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) are both searching for their first win of the season when they face each other on Sunday, September 15 at 1:00 PM ET at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars are slight favorites at home, with a point spread at -3.5 (-110).
The Browns were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 1 opener by a score of 33-17. The game was ugly at the start, as the Cowboys raced out to a 20-3 lead to end the first half.
Deshaun Watson only completed 24 of his 45 pass attempts for 169 yards. While he did have a touchdown, he threw two interceptions. Their offense relies heavily on the passing game, so they will struggle if the Jaguars' secondary is in good shape.
The Browns had similar stats on paper to the Cowboys. The biggest difference was Watson's two interceptions and their defensive coverage in the backfield. Dak Prescott for the Cowboys was not the sole reason the Browns lost, but he was accurate and efficient with his passes to carve up the defense.
The bad part is that they had possession of the ball a minute more than the Cowboys, and they still had issues on the offensive end. If Watson can become more accurate here, they have a great shot at winning.
The Jaguars are coming off a disappointing 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Although they had a 17-7 lead at the half, they allowed the Dolphins to score 13 points in the second half and never answered.
Trevor Lawrence was solid with his 12 of 21 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown. Tank Bigsby also helped move the chains with 12 carries for 73 yards. However, their defense in the second half was atrocious.
They allowed Tua Tagovailoa to stay aggressive and find Tyreek Hill for explosive plays that boosted their offense. This would not have been a big issue if they would have answered with some sort of score late in the game, but they failed to make that happen.
They allowed the Dolphins to get 400 yards while only producing 267. If they enable Watson to get comfortable, it could end badly since he has no problem throwing the ball (45 attempts last game).
The NFL betting odds in the Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars showdown comes from MyBookie, which has the Jaguars as 3.5-point favorites. Market analysis estimates the Jaguars have a 56.7 percent likelihood of winning.
The Browns' offense entirely relies on Watson to make big plays. The Jaguars played well enough to keep the game respectable against the Dolphins but fell apart at the end. Look for the Jaguars to cover.
