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The Jets’ season only felt like it ended last week when Darrelle Revis grabbed his left knee on the field in Miami.
The team must carry on without its best player, and it does not get a break in the schedule to get acclimated to life without Revis. The 49ers come to MetLife Stadium today, followed by the Texans next Monday.
The Jets feel nothing like a first-place team right now, though they are. The 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL, and figure to be angry, coming off a loss to the Vikings last week.
“Going against San Francisco you almost have to be perfect,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “Going against this type of team it has to be precise. That will give you the only shot you’ve got.”
Jim Harbaugh’s team does not have any noticeable weaknesses. They share the same blueprint as the Jets, but are executing it much better right now — play great defense, run the ball and don’t usually turn it over.
Though it’s only the end of September, this feels like a huge moment for the Jets. Win today and they can give their fans hope. Lose and the Revis malaise only grows.
“Of course it’s a big game,” guard Brandon Moore said. “Everybody understands that. They play in a different conference, so sometimes there’s not that familiarity. We don’t see them much. We understand they’re one of the best in their conference, in the league. Guys understand that this is a big test for us, and we’re looking forward to it.”
The Jets found a way to steal a 23-20 overtime win in Miami last week. This is a step up in class. The 49ers are considered one of the top five teams in the sport. Harbaugh kept the team in Ohio this week to prepare for the game, eliminating the travel issue West Coast teams usually face when coming east for
a 1 p.m. game.
“I think as a competitor you want to compete against the very best,” Ryan said. “Obviously, we know these next few weeks are going to be extremely tough. There’s no question about that. But, we’re definitely not conceding anything. They’re going to get our best shot and we’ll see if that’s good enough.”
Here is how The Post sees today’s game breaking down:
MARQUEE MATCHUP
49ers RB Frank Gore vs. Jets’ front seven. The Jets have been awful against the run in two of their three games. They rank 28th in the league, allowing 148.7 yards per game. Now, here comes Gore. The 49ers all-time leading rusher has 30 games of 100 yards or more since 2005, the most in the NFL. This season, Gore is averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
The Jets say fixing the running defense is as simple as getting back to basics. They have emphasized tackling and staying true to assignments this week.
PROTECT THE BALL
The turnover battle will be interesting. The Jets have forced six turnovers this season, but the 49ers rarely turn the ball over — they have committed just four since Dec. 1 of last year. Quarterback Alex Smith threw his first interception in 249 attempts last week.
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions last week, neither of which appeared to be his fault. The Jets can’t afford to have poor route running today or the 49ers will take advantage. San Francisco won the turnover battle in 14 of their 16 regular-season games last year.
GROUND AND POUND GROUNDED
The belief in January when the Jets hired Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator was that the team would return to being a run-heavy team. So far? Not so much.
The Jets are averaging 3.3 yards per rushing attempt, 29th in the NFL. They have topped 100 yards rushing just once. Running back Shonn Greene has caught the brunt of the criticism, but the offensive line also needs to open more holes.
“It’s just taking a little bit of time,” guard Matt Slauson said. “There’s always a couple of games in the beginning of the year where we’re trying to find our rhythm. We’re going to find it. We put an emphasis on it every week. It is going to come. It’s just a matter of when.”
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The Jets defense ranks dead last in third-down efficiency, allowing teams to convert 55.8 percent of the time. The players say the biggest problem has come on first and second down when, they have allowed teams to get to third-and-short.
That figures to be a problem again this week. The 49ers are first in the NFL at gaining four-or-more yards on first down. They have done it 57.3 percent of the time. Considering the Jets also have struggled to find a pass rush (three sacks in three games), the 49ers could be in third-and-short often.
ELLIS ISLAND
Revis’ injury set off a row of falling dominoes for the Jets. Antonio Cromartie is now the No. 1 cornerback. Kyle Wilson is now starting. But the deeper you go, the more problematic it could be for the Jets.
Ellis Lankster will now be on the field a lot as the nickel corner. Lankster could get exposed by playing too many snaps.
He is a good special teams player and a fourth corner. The Jets may try to hide Lankster by playing more three safety formations, but teams will find him.
This is a big test for him.
brian.costello@nypost.com