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MIAMI — After a season of inconsistency and a week of speculation, it all comes down to this for the Jets: Beat the Dolphins then hope for help.
The Jets (8-7) lost control of their playoff fate with last week’s loss to the Giants, their latest disappointing loss this season. That led to a week of questions about the futures of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The Jets have done their best to tune that noise out and focus on the Dolphins (5-10). If the Jets win, they need losses from the Titans, Bengals and either the Raiders or Broncos to make the playoffs. If they lose, the formula is much simpler — they’re done.
“That’s not the only game we’ve ever lost, but you’ve got to move on from it,” coach Rex Ryan said about the 29-14 loss to the Giants. “You’ve got a challenge right in front of you. We have an opportunity. The facts are this: I know for sure that if we don’t win, we’re not in, so we better win, and then we’ll see what happens. We’ll do whatever it takes, light candles, we’ll do it all. But we’ve got to take care of our business first.”
These two teams met on Oct. 17, and the Jets handled the Dolphins 24-6. The Dolphins were winless at the time, but they have turned their season around. They have won five of their past eight games and played much better with Matt Moore at quarterback. They won’t have running back Reggie Bush (knee) today, which is a huge loss.
Offensively, the Jets have a ton riding on this game. Ryan said Friday he expects Schottenheimer to return next year, but it’s hard to see that if the Jets miss the playoffs. The offense ranks 27th in the league and has been inconsistent all year.
A big day from Sanchez would go a long way toward quieting his doubters. A bad day and there will be a whole lot of Peyton Manning talk this winter. After three turnovers last week, Sanchez is preaching ball security.
“The ball has to be of utmost importance, whether that means throw it away, get down, don’t take hits, don’t expose the football, all that is a part of it,” Sanchez said. “I think that’s our No. 1 goal.”
Here is how The Post sees today’s game breaking down:
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall vs. Jets CB Darrelle Revis. The talk between the two began in the middle of the week when Marshall said Revis gets preferential treatment from the referees. Now, they get to fight it out on the field. In October, Revis returned an interception 100 yards after some felt he interfered with Marshall. The rematch promises to be good. Marshall has 1,177 receiving yards this season.
RUN, RUN, RUN
After last week’s 67 dropbacks, Ryan vowed the Jets will never do that again. They would love to get back to running the ball this week, but the Dolphins are third in the NFL in run defense, so it won’t be easy. Still, look for the Jets to try to establish Shonn Greene early and wear the Dolphins down.
JASON: THE FINAL CHAPTER
Longtime Jets killer and one-time Jet Jason Taylor announced today’s game will be his last. What would be a better retirement present than a huge day against the Jets? Taylor will be matched up against D’Brickashaw Ferguson, which should be a fun battle to focus on. Taylor needs three sacks to tie Michael Strahan (141 ½) for fifth all-time.
RECORD WINNERS
Barring a miracle run here, this season will be viewed as a disappointment for the Jets because the expectations were so high. But it is worth noting with a win today, the Jets will have had four straight winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
SCOREBOARD WATCHING
Several Jets admitted they will be glancing up at the scoreboard at Sun Life Stadium during the game to see the score of the Texans-Titans game. The Jets are big Houston fans this week. It will be interesting to see if the Jets let up should the Titans jump out to a big lead, knowing their playoff hopes would be through. The other games that could affect the Jets are all at 4 p.m.
BIG HITS
The Jets have given up 11 plays of more than 40 yards this season, a stunning number for a proud defense. The latest was the 99-yard touchdown by the Giants’ Victor Cruz last week. The Dolphins have more pass plays of 25 yards or more (38) than anyone in the NFL except the Packers. That could spell trouble for the Jets defense.
Costello’s call:
After two straight losses, the Jets have put themselves in this desperate position. I expect them to show some fight today and figure out a way to beat the Dolphins. They will be much more balanced on offense than last week and wear Miami down. Then they wait. I think the Raiders and Broncos both win to keep the Jets out of the playoffs.
Jets 24, Dolphins 17
brian.costello@nypost.com