NFL

Jets must get behind Sanchez the way they did McElroy

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“A little help here, please.’’

THIS should be the mantra of Mark Sanchez right now, because he is a struggling quarterback who needs all the help he can get.

This is what Sanchez desperately needs Sunday when the Jets play the 2-10 Jaguars in Jacksonville, because Sanchez has proven he is not the type of quarterback who can hoist his team on his shoulders and carry it.

Sanchez needs help around him to succeed — the same way third-stringer Greg McElroy needed the players around him to elevate their games when Sanchez was benched and McElroy was thrust into the Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Cardinals.

When McElroy entered the game, there was a palpable rise in intensity and production from everyone in that huddle. The offensive lineman held their blocks a little longer, the running backs ran harder and the receivers ran more precise routes.

The running game offered the most noticeable difference. Before McElroy entered, Jets backs had run 20 times for 74 yards. After McElroy came in, they ran 17 times for 91 yards.

There is a cynical joke hidden here somewhere, but when Sanchez resumes his job as the starter Sunday, the offensive line, running backs and receivers need to play with the same urgency they did when the third-string quarterback came in last Sunday.

“When there’s a young guy in there that’s never played an NFL snap, of course you’re going to have to help him out a little bit,’’ right guard Brandon Moore said yesterday. “Maybe that means blocking a little bit longer or being more in tune with what your assignment is.’’

Sanchez needs those same things Moore said the team gave McElroy. He needs 150 or more yards rushing from his backs, something that should not be an issue against the 31st-ranked Jaguars run defense, which has allowed 1,728 yards and 16 TDs this season.

He needs protection from his offensive line, which should not be a problem against a Jaguars team that has produced just

13 sacks in 12 games — least in the NFL and half the league average of 26.9 per team.

He needs the defense to stifle the Jaguars offense, which should not be a problem considering they rank 31st, averaging a paltry 78.8 rushing yards per game, an embarrassing 29.2 percent on third-down conversions and controls the ball for just 26:45 per game.

Sanchez must help himself by avoiding mindless turnovers. But he also needs the same kind of extra focus McElroy got from his teammates to help the Jets gain their first back-to-back victory of the season and get to 6-7.

There is no excuse for the 18 turnovers Sanchez has committed in 12 games, which is the number that has left him in this lurch — fresh off being benched and now playing for his job, his career and his name Sunday in Jacksonville.

But it’s no secret general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan did not put enough skill-position talent around Sanchez.

Sure, the Jets can point to the season-ending injury to receiver Santonio Holmes and the injuries that have nagged tight end Dustin Keller, Sanchez’s favorite target. But really, after those two players, should there be this much drop-off? Should the team’s top receiving threat be Jeremy Kerley, a nice slot receiver but hardly a No. 1 and maybe not even a No. 2?

Chaz Schilens keeps no opposing defensive coordinator up at night. Rookie Stephen Hill may one day develop into a starting-caliber receiver, but has trouble with the receiving part of the job.

And all of the Jets’ running backs have a total of 24 receptions combined, which is unacceptable.

These, however, are the cards Sanchez has been dealt. It hardly is a full house. So he needs a little help from his friends Sunday or he could lose his job, not for a quarter- and-a-half but forever.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com