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MIAMI — The only thing more powerful than a first impression is a last impression.
Mark Sanchez needs to make a positive last impression to the 2011 season to ease the Jets’ concerns about him as they move into 2012.
That makes today’s regular-season finale for Sanchez and the Jets against the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium — whether there’s a playoff berth awaiting them by day’s end or not — crucial to the franchise as it goes forward.
With the 8-7 Jets mired in a two-game streak that has left their playoff chances negligible, a third consecutive loss with another subpar performance by Sanchez will increase the rising volume concerning his job security.
Sanchez’s struggles have spurred suggestions the Jets move on at quarterback after this season. One report this week called for the Jets to pursue Peyton Manning — a ridiculous reach for a slow-news-day back page that was akin to fishing for a fresh catch in the Arthur Kill.
Acquiring Manning, due a $28 million option bonus in March and still is recovering from a neck injury that may or may not be career-ending, makes as much sense as the Jets giving Rich Kotite another go at head coach.
Setting aside the fact Manning might never be Manning again, the Jets need to spend their money on improvements to the offensive line, linebacker, safety and receiver.
So table the Manning talk. Didn’t the Jets learn enough from the failed Brett Favre experiment three years ago?
Sanchez will be the Jets quarterback next season regardless of what happens today in South Florida.
He has earned that right by helping the Jets get to consecutive AFC Championship Games. But he can provide assurance to fans and management with a strong performance today.
Former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, now an NFL analyst for Fox, preached patience with Sanchez, considering his inexperience.
“You have a young quarterback who was thrown into the fire and he was able to manage that fire the last two years, help lead the team to the AFC Championship Game,’’ Pennington told The Post. “Now they’ve had a different year this year. Probably the expectations on this team were a little bit higher than reality.
“I don’t think Sanchez gets the credit for how he’s handled situations the last three years. For a young quarterback to make it to two AFC Championship Games off of just one year of college football is amazing. There were a lot of expectations that were placed on him that were unrealistic.
“There’s no doubt in his mind he wants to play better, but that happens in time. You look at Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and those guys didn’t just walk onto the scene and everything was the way everyone thought it was going to be.’’
A look at Sanchez’s body of work doesn’t equate with the way many people are portraying him — as some kind of abject failure who must be replaced. He has thrown a career-high 24 touchdowns, has nine fewer interceptions (15) and has improved slightly on his completion percentage (56.2).
By comparison, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, whose team is considered a favorite to go to the Super Bowl, has completed 56.8 percent of his passes and has thrown five fewer TD passes than Sanchez. No one in Baltimore is trying to run Flacco out of town.
The difference is Flacco has been helped by the league’s third-ranked defense and has a strong running game. Those are two things Sanchez had the previous two years when the Jets went to conference title games, but too often has lacked this year.
So some perspective is in need for those wanting to blame all the Jets’ struggles on Sanchez.
Sanchez spoke this week about fans approaching him in the offseason and thanking him, saying, “Man, you took us to two AFC championships. These are the two best seasons we’ve had in so long.’’
“Right now when you’re not winning it’s like, ‘Man, c’mon, you have to play better than that,’ ’’ Sanchez said this week. “That’s OK. Fans want results. We’re here to create results.’’
No one on the Jets could use a positive today more than Sanchez, who desperately needs to leave a strong last impression this season so everyone can feel better about 2012.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com