When the Cleveland Browns opened the 2026 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, not only was it Todd Monken’s debut as an NFL head coach, but it was also the first game for Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator. Neither of them was effective in their new roles in the 34-10 loss.
The game got away from the Browns early, and the coaching staff did not show an ability to recover. Deshaun Watson threw an interception on the first series after the opening kickoff, the Jaguars went right down the field and scored, and it never got any better for Cleveland from there.
Heading toward the Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, insider Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com raised a concerning question about the Browns’ defense, wondering why it did not adjust to being overwhelmed by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offense.
“That’s a good question for new head coach Todd Monken. It’s also something the Browns need to discuss before the Tampa Bay game. At the very least, Monken should have told Rutenberg at halftime, ‘This isn’t the defense we’re supposed to play. We’re down 24-0. Just play aggressive,'” Pluto wrote.
Jacksonville scored on its first four possessions to build a 24-0 lead, and on six of its first seven to build a 34-3 advantage. During the Jaguars’ first two drives, they had two pass completions of 20 or more yards, and five of 10 or more yards.
Lawrence threw for 166 yards and three TDs in the first half, hitting seven different receivers, and finished the game with a career-best 150.6 passer rating. He was sacked just once, by Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham on the play following the two-minute warning of the first half.
Newcomer Jared Verse was supposed to shoulder much of the pass-rush burden of replacing Myles Garrett after his trade to the Los Angeles Rams. But he did not have a sack, pressure, QB hit, or hurry while playing 37 defensive snaps.
The Browns as a team posted a pressure rate of 18.2 percent and blitzed on just three of 25 dropbacks. They also played 67 percent of their snaps in zone coverage, which is in contrast to the man-to-man schemes that were utilized by former coordinator Jim Schwartz over the past three seasons.
Cleveland will have to do much better on Sunday facing a revenge-minded Baker Mayfield at quarterback for Tampa Bay.
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