JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Deshaun Watson ran for a touchdown, Dustin Hopkins kicked three field goals and the stingy Cleveland Browns did just enough to hold off the Jacksonville Jaguars 18-13 on Sunday.
The Browns (1-1) dominated most of the rainy day, sacking Trevor Lawrence four times and holding Jacksonville at bay for nearly three quarters.
The Jaguars (0-2) woke up late when Lawrence found rookie Brian Thomas Jr. for 66 yards to set up a touchdown and then added a field goal to bring the game within one point.
Cleveland had a chance to dunk the ball, but three penalties forced the Browns to a third down and 36 yards from the halfway line. Corey Bojorquez dropped a punt inside the 2-yard line and Alex Wright sacked Lawrence in the end zone on the ensuing play.
The Jags got a chance in the final minute and had a chance to score with 8 seconds left, but Lawrence’s pass into the end zone fell to the ground.
Lawrence was inconsequential for most of the afternoon and TrEverBank Stadium was a disaster.
The Jaguars have changed the signage at EverBank Stadium to “TrEverBank” as part of a marketing campaign to highlight the collaboration between the popular quarterback and the Jacksonville-based financial services company.
The Browns failed the trick and frustrated Lawrence so often that television cameras caught him arguing with coach Doug Pederson on the sidelines.
“We just have to stop this nonsense that we’re doing to each other,” Pederson told CBS at halftime.
Lawrence completed 14 of 30 passes for 220 yards as the Jaguars lost for the seventh time in their last eight games.
Watson completed 22 of 34 passes for 186 yards, 73 of which went to Jerry Jeudy. Jerome Ford ran for 64 yards.
Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne rushed for 52 yards, passing quarterback Mark Brunell (2,219) and moving into fifth place on the team’s career rushing list. Etienne reached the milestone in 36 games. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew are first and second on the list, respectively.
Etienne could overtake Leonard Fournette (2,631) and James Stewart (2,951) and reach third place this season.
Browns: WR David Bell (hip) was carried off the field in the third quarter while a trainer held up his leg and was immediately ruled out. RB Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring) was also ruled out. RT Dawand Jones left the game and went to the locker room with cramps, but later returned.
Jaguars: Pro Bowl TE Evan Engram strained a hamstring during pregame warmups and was ruled out an hour before kickoff. Backup RB Tank Bigsby injured his shoulder when he was hit hard on the kickoff return. He fumbled and the Browns recovered the ball, but the play was nullified by a penalty. RT Anton Harrison injured his leg and left the game shortly before the end.
Browns: Cleveland hosts the New York Giants next Sunday.
Jaguars: Jacksonville plays in Buffalo on Monday night.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
