Is it too early for a must-win? Jaguars host Browns on Sunday

It’s only the second week of the NFL season, but Sunday’s game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns figures to be particularly important for both teams (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

The Jaguars lost the first game of the season against the Miami Dolphins by 20-17 on a field goal as time expiredMeanwhile, the Browns were crushed by the Dallas Cowboys 33-17.

Both teams hope to compete for a playoff spot this season, but one of them… The season will start 0-2.

The Jaguars never trailed until Sunday’s final drive. The second-half collapse included a fumble inside the five-yard line, back-to-back failed plays on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1, and just seven second-half pass attempts.

“I think honestly there are a couple of plays I want to take back from the game. I think overall I did the right thing with the ball.” said Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence.“I was accurate. There were some things I liked about what I did and what we did as an offense, but there were probably two plays that stood out to me.”

Lawrence referenced a third-down play in the first half that nearly led to an interception and a sack in the fourth quarter, which he said was his fault. While Lawrence failed to make any big plays late in the game, the Jaguars’ problems were more numerous than the quarterback.

“Offensively we didn’t take care of the ball very well in that football game,” the Jaguars head coach said. Doug Pederson“We lost the ball too many times and obviously the end result was a goal. There are some positive things to take from this, but I think the most important thing for us is also that we had to protect the ball, which we didn’t do on Sunday either.”

After the Jaguars face the Browns, they will travel to Buffalo to face the Bills on Monday Night Football, and then travel the following week to face the Houston Texans. If the Jaguars don’t bounce back from their season-opening loss and beat the Browns, it could be a very long September.

One of the biggest bright spots for the Jaguars in the opener was the play of rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The first-round pick set up a touchdown for Pass interference call on Jalen Ramsey in the first quarter, then caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter.

He was not on target in the second half.

Cleveland, which made the playoffs as a wild-card team last season, was dominated by the Dallas defense in the opener. Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson He was intercepted twice and sacked six times. Cleveland managed just 230 yards, a mere 54 in the first half.

Cleveland’s schedule is more forgiving than Jacksonville’s. The Browns host the New York Giants next week and then travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders the following week. Still, if they want the first month to be a positive foundation for the rest of the season, a win on Sunday seems essential.

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