NFL

Mark’s miscues lead to Jets’ 1st loss

NEW ORLEANS — There was bound to be a day like this for Mark Sanchez and the Jets. They just hoped it wouldn’t come this soon.

The Jets and their rookie quarterback were ambushed early by the Saints inside the imposing, earsplitting Superdome, and they staggered home 24-10 losers to New Orleans after this anticipated clash of the undefeated yesterday.

After a three-week honeymoon of feel-good, winning football, the Jets’ three-game winning streak to start the season came to an unceremonious and crashing halt. They dropped to 3-1 and are in a tie for first place in the AFC East with the Patriots, who scored a 27-21 victory over the Ravens.

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Sanchez, who had gotten away with some mistakes throughout the first three games, didn’t get away with them yesterday, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. It was the difference in the game.

The Jets defense, which entered the game ranked No. 3 in the NFL and facing the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense, did its job, allowing just one Saints offensive touchdown.

But Sanchez, who last week lost a fumble and threw an interception but got away with it in a 24-17 victory over the Titans, threw an interception that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown. He also lost a fumble in his own end zone that was recovered by the Saints, accounting for 14 New Orleans points.

“The kid, Sanchez, at times he looked like a rookie today,” coach Rex Ryan said.

“The truth is this team played well enough to win, and I let them down,” Sanchez said. “My mistakes absolutely killed us. It’s tough when the rest of the team plays well enough to win and the quarterback doesn’t play very well. We spotted them 14 points and the final score was 24-10. There’s no excuse. Our defense played well enough to win and I need to play well enough to win.”

The self-destruction began on the first play of the second quarter with the Jets seemingly about to score a touchdown or field goal (they were on the New Orleans 15-yard line). But Saints safety Darren Sharper picked off Sanchez, and returned the interception a franchise-record 99 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 Saints lead.

Sanchez (14-of-27, 138 yards, three interceptions, lost fumble, 27.0 rating) tried to force the pass to tight end Dustin Keller, who was covered by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter near the goal line, and he didn’t appear to see Sharper cutting across the play.

“That’s a classic rookie quarterback looking right at his receiver and Sharper read me all the way,” Sanchez said. “I took him right to it. There’s absolutely no excuse for that.”

A short time later, it got worse for Sanchez and the Jets when Saints defensive end Will Smith sacked him in the end zone, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Remi Ayodele.

That gave the Saints a 17-0 lead with nine minutes still remaining in the first half.

Despite the debilitating mistakes, a 15-yard Thomas Jones scoring run with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter cut the deficit to 17-10, and the Jets were right back in the game.

But Sanchez and the offense sputtered, failing to move the ball and the Saints took a 24-10 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Pierre Thomas to put the game away with 6:07 remaining.

That touchdown, just the third allowed by the Jets defense all season, irritated Ryan, who called it “really disappointing.”

Fitting to the day, the Jets’ chances officially were dashed when Sharper picked off Sanchez for the second time with 4:09 remaining and the Jets driving. His final interception, to Saints cornerback Randall Gay, came with 1:16 left in the game.

As disappointed as the Jets were about tasting defeat for the first time this season, they remained united in their support of Sanchez.

“It’s not all on Mark,” right tackle Damien Woody said.

“Veteran quarterbacks lose games like this,” safety Kerry Rhodes said, calling it “a bump in the road.”

Sanchez said he is ready to put this game behind him.

“The guys aren’t worried,” Sanchez said. “It’s no cause to start searching somewhere else for another quarterback. I know what happened. I got to the truth of it right away, and the truth is I played poorly. Everybody else played well. I didn’t. I’ll wear this one, take ownership of it and move on.”

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com