Deshaun Watson's first-possession interception sets tone for Jaguars rout of Browns

Deshaun Watson heard boos from the home crowd in his first preseason home game last month with the Cleveland Browns .

He's on track to hear more when he makes his regular-season home debut — that is if he still has his job as Cleveland's starting quarterback.

Watson threw an interception on Cleveland's first drive of the the season Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars . The turnover sparked a 34-10 Jaguars rout and the start of what looks like another difficult season in Cleveland.

While Trevor Lawrence looked ready to pick back up where he left off from a standout 2025 campaign in a nearly perfect four-touchdown game, Watson's effort left much to be desired.

Watson finished his day completing 16-of-22 passes for 205 yards with 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble and 5 sacks taken. His and Cleveland's lone touchdown arrived in the final two minutes of a game that had long been lost. His interception to start the game set the tone for what was coming.

Watson's mistake sparks Jacksonville rout

With 12:17 remaining in the first quarter, the Browns faced second-and-5 from the Jacksonville 28-yard line. They'd driven 32 yards and were in good shape to secure at least a field goal on the opening drive of the game.

Watson looked downfield to receiver Jerry Jeudy , who was on a curl route near the 10-yard line. Instead, he found Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun , who intercepted the pass and returned it to the Jacksonville 41.

Oluokun was lurking in underneath coverage, and Watson didn't appear to see him. He threw the ball directly to the Jaguars linebacker.

Eight plays later, Trevor Lawrence found Parker Washington for a touchdown, and the Jaguars took an early 7-0 lead.

The pass was Watson's third of the season and his third since 2024. Watson's career was derailed that season by a combination of injury and poor play, and he hadn't played an NFL snap since until Sunday.

Two possessions later and with the Jaguars holding a 14-0 lead, Watson fumbled while being sacked. The Browns recovered the ball, but the play exacerbated a poor start for the veteran quarterback.

By halftime, the Jaguars were rolling to a 24-0 lead, and concerns about another poor season in Cleveland were amped up to full volume. Lawrence had three touchdown passes against a hapless Browns defense, and Jacksonville dominated the ball.

Cleveland's best shot at scoring on a no-huddle drive at the end of the half was derailed by a pair of holding penalties that pushed them back from the verge of field-goal range.

As for Watson, he completed 8-of-12 passes in the first half for 75 yards with 1 interception, 1 fumble and 2 sacks taken, and the game was virtually lost.

Late TD pads stats with no impact on game

There was little reason for encouragement in Cleveland after halftime. Lawrence marched the Jaguars to an opening-drive touchdown in the third quarter to extend the lead to 31-0. He finished his day completing 18-of-23 passes for 245 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers.

The Browns responded with a drive inside the 5-yard line on their first possession of the half. But a delay-of-game penalty on third-and-2 at the 3 stunted the drive, and the Browns settled for a field goal just to get on the board.

Cleveland's last drive and late touchdown padded Watson's stat line. But there was little from Watson's effort Sunday to give Cleveland hope for a career resurgence since he won the starting job.

Watson won the job in training camp over second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders , who demonstrated little in his rookie campaign that he was capable of playing as an NFL starter. It's been rough going for Watson since.

Head coach Todd Monken insinuated that Watson's hold on the job was tenuous, noting that he believed Watson gave Cleveland the best chance in a game "to start the season on the road."

"[I] took in the whole body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to games, the joint practice and ultimately felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points," Monken said in August. "That's really what it's about."

Watson, meanwhile, is not a popular man in Cleveland.

Watson, who joined the Browns in 2022 on the heels of a scandal in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by 27 women , was greeted with boos by Cleveland fans in the preseason. He responded to the boos by chastising Browns fans to reporters.

Sunday's game was in Jacksonville, or he likely would have heard more boos before halftime. If Watson remains the starter in Week 3 for Cleveland's home debut against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 27, there's a decent chance more boos will await him.