This is the day we truly find out if Rex Ryan still is the coach he thinks he is, and has been, and if he has the team he thinks he has.
It is whether his Jets respond to him the way they did his first two seasons. It is whether his team will have a chance of making as much noise as he does.
It is whether he can win a game against a coach he apparently thinks he can coach rings around.
You don’t understand how you can be an underdog at home? Maybe it’s because two of the quarterbacks you’ve beaten are Luke McCown and Matt Moore. You’re certain you have an elite defense? Then beat an elite quarterback like Philip Rivers for a change.
No Rexcuses.
The Jets cannot afford to fall to 2-4 in the conference. They cannot afford to go into their bye week 3-4. They need to beat a heavyweight for a change, if only to reassure themselves that they still are one of the big boys.
No one, least of all Ryan, expected his defense to be this shaky on the edges against the run. No one least of all Ryan, expected Shonn Greene and the Ground & Pound to be three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-bust.
No one, least of all Ryan, expected Mark Sanchez to be south of 60 percent completion percentage again.
No one, least of all Ryan, expected Derrick Mason to be catching passes from Matt Schaub, or Plaxico Burress to have 14 catches (two TDs) after six games.
No one, least of all Ryan, expected turmoil inside his locker room.
No one, least of all Ryan, expected his team to lose its road-warrior mentality.
So when he met his players Wednesday morning, this is what he told them: “This is a ‘must win’ if we’ve ever had one. We need to go into our bye week on a high, back on track.”
Then, after Wednesday’s practice, Ryan told them: “Pour your heart and soul into this game, give it everything you got. Put in the extra work because we got the bye coming up, so we got to sell out.”
Jets fans don’t care if Ryan might have coached the Chargers to a couple of Super Bowl championships, they only care about him beating the 2011 Chargers at 10 a.m. Pacific Time with this team. The major problem is that Rivers, as much as any Charger, will be gunning to defend the honor of his coach and playcaller, Norv Turner. And the return today of tight end Antonio Gates (foot), a treacherous matchup problem for Gang Green, will make Rivers that much more dangerous.
FOX analyst Troy Aikman recalls Turner, his old offensive coordinator with the Cowboys, letting him sit in with Rivers during the quarterback meetings four years ago in training camp.
“I couldn’t have been more impressed with him in the meeting room,” Aikman said. “His grasp, not just of the offense, but just really what it takes to really man that position. Then watching at practice that day, really impressed with his competitiveness, his velocity on the ball and his accuracy. I think he’s got great charisma. I think he’s got great energy, but he’s a playmaker … for a guy who [chuckle] can’t get out of his own way.
He’s not real fleet afoot. … He hangs in the pocket to the last minute, and puts the ball where it has to be.”
I like Rivers, who threw for 4,710 yards last season, better than Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, his fellow members of the Class of 2004, even if he is the only one without a ring, and isn’t fazed by reminders that he is.
“I don’t think San Diego drew the short straw on that deal whatsoever,” Aikman said. “I haven’t heard one time anyone say, ‘Gosh darn, we had Drew Brees here, why’d we let him go?’ That speaks volumes for Philip Rivers.”
Rivers (six TDs, seven INTs, 1,536 yards) has yet to find his grove. But Sanchize-ologists should note that in Rivers’ third season as starter, his completion percentage was 65.3 percent. His numbers since: 65.2, 66.0 and now 67.2.
Rivers won’t be throwing the ball to Darrelle Revis when he’s looking for Vincent Jackson. The Jets better remember to show up for the first quarter against this bunch.
It’s a 10-game season now. Ryan’s plea today: Bye me a Rivers.
No Rexcuses.
steve.serby@nypost.com