​The Jacksonville Jaguars will open the 2026 NFL season at home against the Cleveland Browns, and there will be some key matchups for fans to keep an eye on.While the Jaguars have retained most of their roster and coaching staff from their successful 2025 season, there are still ongoing questions about how Jacksonville will perform and whether they can win the AFC South again. Here are five key matchups to watch on Sunday.Josh Hines-Allen vs. Spencer FanoStar edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen is coming off another dominant season, again proving that he is among the best at his position in the league. Fano, meanwhile, is a rookie, but that doesn’t mean he should be overlooked. Fano is excellent at pass protection, allowing zero sacks in his final season, and will be a very important addition to a Browns offensive line that has struggled to protect the quarterback in recent years. Can he hold off Hines-Allen? And can Hines-Allen prove that the Jaguars pass rush is something to be feared?Jared Verse vs. Jaguars OTsIt’s still not clear who will be playing on Sunday, with Cole Van Lanen a gameday decision due to a knee injury. But whether it’s Van Lanen or Walker Little, they — along with Anton Harrison — will need to contain Jared Verse. It could be easy to think the Browns pass rush will be less disruptive with the loss of Myles Garrett, but it would be a mistake to sleep on Verse; he generated 80 pressures in 2025, the sixth-highest for a defensive player in the NFL, and Jacksonville’s OTs will need to fend him off. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence proved last season that he can scramble when necessary, but ideally, he won’t be placed in that position.Jaguars WRs vs. Browns CBsThere’s no denying that Jacksonville has one of the strongest wide receiver rooms in the NFL, but they’ll be facing a strong cornerback unit with Cleveland. The Browns specifically have an excellent cornerback tandem in Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell — a former Jaguar, by the way — as well as Myles Harden, likely in the slot. Parker Washington is coming off a breakout season, Brian Thomas Jr. is looking to bounce back from a sophomore slump and has appeared electric in the offseason, and Jakobi Meyers remains a reliable receiver that Lawrence clearly trusts. Campbell will be taking on his former teammates, and the biggest question is whether or not he and Ward will be able to lock down the outside and neutralize Washington in the slot.KC Concepcion vs. Travis HunterThis matchup has an added level of interest specifically due to Hunter, who is not only likely to be a full-time cornerback this season, but is in Jacksonville thanks to Cleveland. In 2025, the Jaguars traded with the Browns to get Hunter, while Cleveland used one of the picks it got from Jacksonville to get Concepcion. Sunday’s game will be a chance to prove that the Jaguars won this trade if Hunter is able to lock Concepcion down.Harold Fannin vs. Jaguars linebackersFannin is coming off a productive rookie season, a