EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – This wasn't perfect. It wasn't close.

But the Jaguars won their 2018 regular-season opener on Sunday, beating the New York Giants by a score of 20-15 at MetLife Stadium. And if there's any NFL cliché that also qualifies as NFL truth it's the one that says you take regular-season opening victories however you get them. 

That's particularly true of regular-season openers on the road. Against veteran, Super-Bowl winning quarterbacks. And against teams with weapons such as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Saquon Barkley.

Make no mistake: The Giants were dangerous. 

The Jaguars for the most part stayed in control of that dangerous team, and they won despite the absence of running back Leonard Fournette much of the game.

They won despite too many penalties.

The penalties thing will be an area of focus this week. There will be a lot of areas of focus. But the Jaguars will focus on those areas as a 1-0 team rather than an 0-1 team.

That made Sunday a success. Even if it wasn't perfect.

Let's get to it …

Rob from Jacksonville

Last year was a mirage. Back to the same 'ol same 'ol.

Winning?

Chris from Jacksonville

Five minutes into the first real game of the season, and my first thoughts are maybe our receivers should wash their hands after eating all that well-buttered corn on the cob before the game. #Can'tBlameBortlesSoFar

This was the much-anticipated, oft-discussed, mega-ballyhooed First Email of the Game and therefore the much-anticipated, oft-discussed, mega-ballyhooed First Email of the Season. And yeah … wide receiver Dede Westbrook and running back T.J. Yeldon both had drops that could/should have been receptions early. 

Stephen from Jacksonville

If the Jaguars win the Super Bowl this season it will be because they have the greatest defense in the history of the NFL. The offense was bad in New Jersey. Very bad. They better figure something out quickly or the hopes for this season are going to head south in a hurry. A win is a win, but that one felt deflating. Let's hope Leonard Fournette can get well soon or I expect that we'll see much of the same next week.

Season-opening victories aren't deflating. Season-opening victories mean you're 1-0 and that means you did what you were supposed to do in what typically is one of the trickier weeks of the regular season. That won't be how many see Sunday's victory over the Giants. But that's how it is.

Sid from Sidsonville

All the hype for this? Maybe want to hold off on making those Super Bowl hotel reservations ... this offense is not playoff caliber.

Fans gonna fan – even in Week 1. Maybe even especially in Week 1.

Travis from Port Orange, FL

Johnny O, this offense sputtered in the second half. What gives?

The loss in the second half of running back Leonard Fournette didn't help. There was a lot more going wrong, too, but that didn't help. The Jaguars did what they needed to do offensively in the second half. They didn't do enough to make it easy, and they didn't run as well without Fournette as they did with him. And yeah, the passing offense must be better – and it will have to be more aggressive in games when the Jaguars aren't leading. But the Jaguars won Sunday. That's what mattered more than anything.

Jami from Wye Mills, MD

As we are approaching the end of the third quarter, I'm guessing you've received a number of emails about Cam Robinson's day. Let's hope he snaps out of it in the fourth quarter.

It wasn't an easy start for Robinson. In fact, it was a tough day in general overall for Robinson. He was penalized at least three times by my count for 25 yards. They weren't all killers, but they all could have been avoided – and need to be avoided moving forward.

Logan from Wichita, KS

Boy oh boy I hope we can get a couple thousand more penalty yards before the game ends. Trash!!!!

This was sent in the first half. It was a tough day for Logan.

Logan from Wichita, KS

We just handed them the damn game with penalties. FANTASTIC!!!! 0-16.

Logan was something of an emotional mess at times Sunday …

Logan from Wichita, KS

Hey, remember how I said the WR problem would be a problem??? Yeah ... IT'S A PROBLEM!!! This offense is completely garbage!!!!!

… Most of the time, actually.

Roger from Houston

So far, the refs get an F minus …

… said pretty much every fan of every NFL team ever …

JT from Fort Worth

I had to think twice multiple time this game because I thought I was listening to a Giants broadcast …

… said pretty much every fan of every NFL team who didn't say the thing about the refs.

Dan from Fort Dodge

Those penalties killed us, O-man. Needs to be cleaned up before next week.

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.

JT from Fort Worth, TX

1-0 is better than 0-1...

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.