Bowles and veterans Kearse and McCown hope to instill finishing touch on younger Jets

Time is the elixir for this particularly annoying problem plaguing the Jets. For all the frustration stemming from Gang Green’s fourth-quarter disappearing acts, it’s a necessary evil for a team with a young nucleus. Suffer now. (Hopefully) prosper later. The Jets’ feel-good first couple months have been stained by sluggish and sloppy finishes that have dropped them to the AFC East cellar entering Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

Todd Bowles’ team has been outscored, 64-17, in fourth quarters this season. They’ve been shut out in the final 15 minutes of regulation in four of the first seven games, prompting players, coaches and fans to tug at their hair follicles.

The most maddening part of it all: The Jets have been in position to win all but one game entering the final quarter. Bowles & Co. have had the lead entering the final quarter four times. They’ve trailed by one possession (two and seven points, respectively) in two other games.

Although the matter-of-fact head coach matterof-factly insists that “it’s not that difficult” to learn to finish games because all you need to do is “you play the way you play in the first quarter and make the same plays,” there are important factors to consider when diagnosing the problem. “It’s just sustained focus for four quarters,” Josh McCown told the Daily News about the biggest barrier to closing out games. “There’s a lot that goes into it, but the longer you play together, the better you get at that, because you’re able to hold each other accountable. It’s hard to put your finger on one thing and say, ‘Hey let’s just do this better.’ I think it’s just time together. You grow together and trust one another and believe