The Cleveland Browns kicked off the Todd Monken era in the worst way possible on Sunday, falling 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Week 1 blowout that exposed glaring weaknesses across the roster.

Deshaun Watson made his first start in nearly two years following his 2024 Achilles injury, and the results were a terrible product out of the gates. The Browns couldn’t run the ball, turned it over multiple times, and watched Jacksonville’s offense carve up their defense all afternoon. 

Coming away from the loss, there were far more negatives than positives for Cleveland.

Winner: DL Mason Graham

The lone bright spot for the Browns was defensive lineman Mason Graham, who had a few good plays for a defense on its heels all day. Graham put up five tackles and one sack, consistently getting behind the line of scrimmage and making an impact. It was a good start to Year 2 for Graham, who notched his first full sack of his NFL career. On a day where the defense struggled mightily, Graham showed why the Browns invested in him.

Winner: WR Denzel Boston 

Boston ended the game with 59 receiving yards, which led the Browns. The rookie wideout caught a 46 yard touchdown in garbage time on a deep ball from Watson, which was the offense’s best play of the day. It was in garbage time, but it left some optimism to come out of the game with. 

Loser: QB Deshaun Watson

Watson was miserable for Cleveland. He finished 16-of-22 for 205 yards with the later touchdown, one interception, and one fumble he managed not to lose. Watson was sacked five times, and not all of that falls on the offensive line. He created some of those problems himself, holding the ball too long and failing to get the offense moving. Watson’s return from the Achilles injury did not look promising, and the Browns aren’t going to have many more games with him at the quarterback spot if it continues to go like it did in Week 1.

Loser: HC Todd Monken

Monken’s debut as a head coach went the opposite of how he wanted to start the season. The decision to start Watson glared as a failure, and the offense was lifeless throughout. The Browns couldn’t run the ball, and it looked like a team that simply wasn’t inspired. That falls on Monken’s shoulders, and he has his first loss as a head coach as a result. There are going to be tough questions for Monken to answer heading into Week 2.

Loser: EDGE Jared Verse

Verse was a non-factor for the Browns on Sunday. He finished with a couple of tackles but wasn’t able to generate much pressure on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It wasn’t the game Browns fans wanted to see from a player the team traded for from the Los Angeles Rams when they moved Myles Garrett out west. Cleveland needs Verse to be a difference-maker on the edge, and he didn’t deliver in Week 1.

Loser: CB Myles Harden

Harden was picked on consistently by the Jaguars in the first half, including giving up a touchdown to wide receiver Parker Washington. He’s clearly the weak link of the Browns’ cornerback group alongside Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell. Opposing offenses are going to target that slot cornerback position often this season if Harden doesn’t improve quickly.

Loser: DC Mike Rutenberg

The defense looked like a unit missing both Garrett and former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. The Browns were in a tough spot all day because of the offense’s inability to stay on the field, but they still allowed 34 points and gave up chunk plays throughout. Washington had five catches for 83 yards, and the Browns couldn’t contain him. Lawrence went 18-of-23 for 245 yards, four touchdown passes, and zero interceptions. You’re not going to win a game when the opposing quarterback is that efficient and picks apart your defense all afternoon. Time will tell if Rutenberg can get this unit playing at a higher level, but the opener raised serious concerns.