Where do you begin to describe the plight of these sorry Jets?
The team that only a week ago was playing a game in New England with a chance to seize control the AFC East and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs now finds itself in a death struggle to the finish to simply qualify for the playoffs.
As ugly as it was, you can excuse the Jets’ blowout loss to the Patriots last Monday night, because the Patriots look like the best team in the NFL.
But what you cannot excuse is the Jets’ 10-6 loss yesterday at New Meadowlands Stadium to an offensively challenged Dolphins team that produced six first downs (one in the second half), completed five passes and had 131 yards of total offense the entire game.
You cannot excuse Mark Sanchez looking like a high school quarterback thrown into a professional game for the first time, turning the ball over twice and generally looking lost.
Worst of all, though, there is no excuse for Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi intentionally sticking his knee out and tripping the Dolphins’ Nolan Carroll during a third-quarter punt.
VIDEO: JETS COACH SAL ALOSI TRIPS DOLPHINS’ CARROLL
Carroll, who earlier intercepted Sanchez, was running up the Jets’ sideline during a Jets punt return when Alosi stuck his knee out and took him down. Carroll lay on the ground for a minute or so and was tended to by Jets defensive assistant Steve Weeks and then Miami medical personnel. He ended up with a thigh bruise and later returned to the game.
If he thought he was such a tough guy, maybe Alosi should have put on a uniform and tried to help the Jets score a touchdown, something they haven’t done in nine quarters.
“I’m very concerned,” Rex Ryan said. “Something’s got to change because this isn’t good enough.”
Ryan could have been talking about the conduct of his irresponsible staff member, but he was addressing the state of his team, which travels to Pittsburgh this Sunday with its confidence in shambles.
“It makes you sick,” Sanchez said after completing only 17 of 44 passes for 216 yards with an INT and a lost fumble.
The 9-4 Jets are in a free-fall and haven’t scored a single touchdown in all four of their losses. They’ve played five games against a team with a .500 record or better and won one of them.
Coupled with the Patriots’ rout of the Bears yesterday, the Jets are two games behind New England with three to play, meaning their chances of winning the division are gone.
The Jets’ world has been turned upside down in a week after they’d been flying so high.
“It’s a huge shock to be playing the way we are,” right guard Brandon Moore said. “To look like we’ve looked in the last two games is shocking. We’ve got to get better in a hurry.”
Center Nick Mangold called the situation “horrible,” adding, “It’s not the way we envisioned, not the way we wanted.”
It got so bad on offense yesterday that Ryan conceded he “considered” yanking Sanchez from the game late in the third quarter as it looked like the offense was running under water.
Sanchez’s first-quarter interception led to a Miami field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Dolphins made it 10-0 on a 6-yard Chad Henne TD pass to Brandon Marshall on a play that Jets linebacker Bart Scott and safety Eric Smith looked confused.
The Jets offense, with chance after chance and excellent field position, could produce only two Nick Folk field goals. The Jets were 6 of 21 on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth downs.
When it was over, the Dolphins tore into the Jets.
“They’re cocky for no reason. They haven’t won anything. They act tough, but they’re not tough,” linebacker Channing Crowder said. “They’re a good team, but they’re not what they come off as they are. I hate fake people and I hate posers, and a lot of them are.”
Miami receiver Brandon Marshall mocked Ryan burying the game ball from the New England game during the week.
“New England beat them last week and [the Jets] took the football and buried it,” Marshall said. “We wanted to do the same. Hopefully, they will bury one of our footballs, too.”
mcannizzaro@nypost.com