NFL

Free-falling Jets searching for QB answers after loss

Maybe Mark Sanchez can throw with his left arm. It couldn’t be any worse than the current quarterback situation for the Jets.

Rookie Geno Smith got benched at halftime of Sunday’s 23-3 Jets loss to the Dolphins after playing so poorly it had Jets fans dreaming of the days of Sanchez, who is recovering from right shoulder surgery. Matt Simms replaced Smith and did not fare much better.

All of this leaves the Jets (5-7) with the slimmest of playoff hopes and in a total quarterback mess with four games remaining in a season that once held some surprising promise.

“Right now, I can’t tell you who’s starting,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said about his quarterback next week against the Raiders.

The Dolphins embarrassed the Jets, outgaining them 453 to 177 in yardage and dominating a game that was not even as close as the 20-point margin suggests. In the first half, the Dolphins held the ball for 24 minutes, 12 seconds and the Jets had it for just 5:48. The Jets had two first downs in the half and Ryan decided he’d seen enough of Smith after he went 4-of-10 for 29 yards with another interception for an 8.3 rating through two quarters.

“We did absolutely nothing in the first half offensively,” Ryan said. “I was just trying to give us a spark some way. I figured that might do it.”

Smith had gone 21 quarters without throwing a touchdown and the Jets had just one touchdown in their last 36 possessions. The Jets went without a touchdown for the second straight week. Now, Ryan must decide whether to stick with Smith, turn to Simms (9-of-18, 79 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble) or take third-string quarterback David Garrard, who was inactive again Sunday, out of moth balls.

Smith, who has 23 turnovers this season, still believes he’s the answer despite throwing one touchdown and 11 interceptions in his last seven games.

“I have complete confidence in myself,” he said. “I think it’s been a tough three weeks, but I think I am the best option for this team. With the way I work and the progress we’ve made as an offense, I know as of late we haven’t produced on the field.”

The offense was absolutely inept Sunday, but the defense was only slightly better. The unit had a ton of missed tackles and rookie cornerback Dee Milliner was benched for the third time this season after getting picked apart by Ryan Tannehill (28-for-43, 331 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT). The Dolphins are now 6-6, tied for the final wild-card spot.

Just a month ago, the Jets were coming off a thrilling win over the Saints at MetLife Stadium and were 5-4 with what seemed like a good shot of making the playoffs. They have now endured a three-game losing skid in which they have been outscored 79-20.

“It’s sickening,” linebacker Calvin Pace said.

The Dolphins controlled the game in the first half, outgaining the Jets 265-39 and putting up 16 first downs. But Miami could not score. The Jets held them to two field goals and the game was still within reach at halftime with the Dolphins up 6-0.

It was then Ryan and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg pulled Smith for Simms, hoping to spark the offense. But Simms fumbled an attempted handoff to Bilal Powell on his second series and Tannehill found Brian Hartline for a 31-yard touchdown two plays later to make it 13-0.

A Nick Folk field goal cut it to 13-3, but the Dolphins answered with Tannehill finding Mike Wallace on a short pass that Wallace turned into a 28-yard touchdown when Milliner failed to tackle him, essentially ending the game.

“It was an awful performance by us,” Ryan said. “We got outplayed in all three phases of the game. I know our fans deserve a hell of a lot better than that. We better get better in a hurry. That’s pretty obvious.”

The question now becomes: Can they fix it and will it matter? At 5-7, the Jets’ playoff hopes are on life support. They likely need to win the final four games just to have a chance to make it because they lose tiebreakers with nearly every team they are fighting for the final playoff spot.

With the season in a tailspin, the Jets must also guard against the locker room fracturing, particularly with the defense toward the offense.

“We don’t have any kind of resentment,” cornerback Antonio Cromartie said. “This is a tight-knit group and that’s how we’re going to keep it.’’

The offense seems like it has no answers. Tight end Kellen Winslow hinted after the game that the problems start in practice where the offense has not performed well. There is also a question of whether it matters who is at quarterback with the talent deficiency the Jets have in their skill positions. Winslow dismissed that idea.

“We have more than enough offensive weapons,” he said. “That’s definitely not the case.”

Amazingly, the Jets find themselves in the same place they were a year ago. They have an identical 5-7 record and are trying to figure out who the starting quarterback is. Last year it was Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Greg McElroy. This year it’s Smith, Simms and Garrard.

If Ryan does not come up with an answer this time, it might not be his decision next season.