Parker Washington — Week 1: Eighty-Three Yards, All of It Before Halftime
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Washington caught five of six targets for eighty-three yards and the thirty-yard touchdown on third and seven that opened the scoring, and both of his third-down targets moved the chains. His six targets led Jacksonville and were worth plus eight point eight expected points, the most of any receiver on either team; all six came before halftime in a 34–10 win over the Browns.
When Parker Washington's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
The full episode, in writing
Parker Washington scored the first touchdown of Jacksonville's season on a third down. Eight 18 left in the first quarter, third and seven at the Cleveland 30, no score, on the drive that followed Foyesade Oluokun's interception: Trevor Lawrence deep right, 29 yards in the air, 30 yards, touchdown. The throw was worth +3.9 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and nine points of win probability, the largest swing of any Jacksonville offensive play all afternoon. Three snaps earlier he had caught 11 yards over the middle on second and six from the Cleveland 44 to get the drive to the 33 in the first place.
The line: six targets, five catches, 83 yards, one touchdown, +8.8 expected points on the targets — the highest figure for any receiver on either team, ahead of Denzel Boston's +5.2 for Cleveland and Jakobi Meyers's +4.7 for Jacksonville. A hundred two air yards on six targets. The catches went 11, 30, six, 22 14: the 22 was second and 18 at the Cleveland 49 with three 55 left in the first, deep left to the 27, on the drive that ended in Josh Cameron's touchdown; the 14 was third and six at the 28 with six 58 left in the half, no huddle, run out of bounds at the 14, and Brenton Strange caught the touchdown on the next play. Two third-down targets, two conversions. The one incompletion was second and one at the Jacksonville 37, early in the second quarter, deep right, 23 yards in the air.
Six targets was the most on the team — Strange and Brian Thomas had three, Meyers and Cameron two — and all six came in the first half, when Jacksonville had 19 pass plays. After halftime the Jaguars had five pass plays with a 24-point lead, and none went to Washington. He also fielded three Cleveland punts: one return for −5 yards and two fair catches.
Back in June the preview's case for Washington was a third-year breakout — the team lead in receiving yards, a defined slot role in Liam Coen's scheme — set against an availability rate around 74 percent that argued against a clean repeat. Sunday was the role, in full: the team lead in targets, catches and yards, and the first score. It does not touch the availability question, which is answered one week at a time. Jacksonville is at the Broncos on Sunday the twentieth; watch whether the targets follow him into a second half.
_Data via nflverse._
When Parker Washington's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
Keep going