Column: Jaguars Shouldn't Let Guise of Close Games Prevent Necessary Changes

The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing better football as of late, but how much does it matter if wins aren't coming?

Over the last month, the Jacksonville Jaguars have played better football. 

The losses have been closer. The performances on both sides of the ball have been better. Rookies and veterans alike have stepped up. 

But the losing has continued. The Jaguars are now 1-8, holding the second-worst record in the league due to an eight-game losing streak.

To snap the seemingly never-ending pattern of losing that has infested the franchise over the last decade-plus, the Jaguars must keep their eyes on the future and not on the close losses of today. 

For fans of the team, games like the last three weeks are likely immensely comforting. The Jaguars have only played one team with a winning record in that 0-3 span, but the Jaguars have lost the three bouts by a combined 16 points. For comparison, the Jaguars lost their previous three games by a combined 42 points.

Defensively, the Jaguars have put forth two of their best efforts in the season over the last two weeks. The specials teams unit has created two touchdowns over the last three games -- a punt return by Keelan Cole and a blocked punt and score by Daniel Thomas. 

Add in an abundance of other encouraging performances and developments from young players over the last three games, and it is reasonable for some to be optimistic about the Jaguars moving forward. 

But for the Jaguars to match that optimism, for them to fulfill the potential that is once again staring them in the face, they can not afford to miss the forest for the trees. 

The Jaguars would be doing a disservice to the franchise and its supporters to let narrow losses prevent necessary changes and improvements. This is a lesson the Jaguars will have to eventually prove they understand.

The Jaguars are fresh off a narrow 24-20 loss to the 7-2 Green Bay Packers, one of the best teams in the league. For four quarters, the Jaguars were the more physical, more emotional, and more willing team. 

Despite this, the Jaguars once again saw a potential win slip through their fingers. This has become an all too familiar result for the Jaguars, who have a 12-29 record since the start of the 2018 season. For all of the positives, such as big plays made by their rookie class and young secondary, the glaring, unignorable negative of another loss shouldn't be ignored. 

From players to coaches to executives, nobody involved with an NFL team sees a close loss as a positive. Even when you are the youngest team in the NFL barely losing to a future Hall of Fame quarterback, it must be understood by all that coming up short of the day's only goal is the worst outcome possible.

"I want to make sure I answer this the right way. Every time you play and lose, for me, I’m not going to talk about anybody else, it’s something that’s in my soul that just gets (expletive) ripped out," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said on Sunday following the less. 

"So, that’s how I feel. So, it doesn’t matter whether it’s this game or the other seven before … and it’s something that you can’t replace."

This sums up the feelings inside the locker room and on the sidelines when the Jaguars just barely miss out on a much-needed win. The question now is whether those who hold the future of the franchise in their hands will have the same feelings, or if they will let the recent guise of close losses cloud what must be done. 

The Jaguars could have a potentially bright future. In many ways, they couldn't ask for a better one. They have an endless amount of draft picks, more than enough cap space to make a splash with free agents, and have seen several rookies take big steps. 

But for every hit on a third-round defensive tackle, the Jaguars have another multi-game losing streak. For every almost win, there is a blowout loss somewhere in the near past or near future. 

Jacksonville has plenty of reasons to look forward. The youngest roster in the league plays hard every week and more often than not is in the game at the start of the fourth quarter. Young playmakers are emerging on both sides of the ball. A foundation can be built. 

But for that foundation to down its first brick, the Jaguars can't mistake today's failures for tomorrow's success. Losses are losses, no matter how one looks at it. To ensure the losing ends, the Jaguars will clearly need to make some changes. 

Only the Jaguars' decision-makers can decide what those changes exactly entail, but it is obvious to all observers that a move will have to be made ... even with near-wins. 

At the end of the day, the Jaguars have a chance to move into a new age or let themselves once again be buoyed by hope. The Jaguars shouldn't close losses prevent any potential changes because at the end of the day, that is all they are -- losses.