The DBN staff predicts the Week 2 games, plus the national media make their predictions for Browns vs. Jaguars.
Here is what the national media is saying about the Week 2 game between the Browns and Jaguars:
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) – Jaguars 24, Browns 19
The Jaguars blew a fourth-quarter lead in losing to the Dolphins, while Cleveland was mauled at home by Dallas. Deshaun Watson was awful. This is a tough ask to bounce back on the road against a Jaguars defense that slowed Miami. Look for Jacksonville to get in the win column.
CBS Sports (John Breech) – Jaguars 23, Browns 20
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to set $230 million on fire, just ask the Browns because that’s basically what they’ve done with Watson. He signed through the 2026 season and if the Browns wanted to get out of his contract after this year, they’d have to take a $172 million dead cap hit.
It’s a good thing the Browns exists, because if they didn’t, I probably would have spent the past five paragraphs talking about the Jaguars choke job against the Dolphins in Week 1. The Jaguars could have won the game by two touchdowns, but instead they lost.
Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer) – Jaguars 20, Browns 17
The Browns looked sloppy with former Clemson QB Deshaun Watson vs. Dallas, while the Jaguars flashed before fading with former Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence vs. Miami. This can be another ugly game with two inconsistent passing games and two running games facing strong fronts. The edge goes to Lawrence, who has more reliable help with his weapons overall.
Sporting News (Bill Bender) – Jaguars 23, Browns 18
A battle of former Clemson quarterbacks trying to avoid 0-2 starts will be telling for AFC playoff hopefuls. Deshaun Watson completed just 53.3 percent of his passes in the opener. Cleveland has an excellent pass rush, and Myles Garrett had one of three sacks in the blowout loss to Dallas. Trevor Lawrence completed 57.1 percent of his passes in a tough loss at Miami. Travon Walker had two sacks for the Jaguars. These teams have similar strengths and weaknesses right now, which makes it a true toss-up. The Browns were 3-6 S/U on the road last season. We will stick with the home team.
Below are our Week 2 NFL staff picks: