JOSH

THE JETS on Wednesday tried to distance themselves from the clown show happening 30 miles west in East Rutherford, after the Giants, in a shocking and widely criticized move, benched Eli Manning in favor of former Gang Green signal-caller Geno Smith.

That task was made more difficult because of Smith’s Jets tenure, the most obvious link between the organizations in this awkward situation. But there’s one more obscure factoid that ties the teams together over this move. The last time the Giants started a quarterback other than Manning was Nov. 14, 2004 in Arizona, when Kurt Warner led the Big Blue offense. Starting under center for the Cardinals that day opposite Warner was a 25-year-old Josh McCown, who is currently enjoying a career season for the Jets at the ripe age of 38.

McCown noted the coincidence when speaking with the media Wednesday before offering sympathy for Manning, whose run of 210 consecutive starts, the second-longest streak in NFL history, will come to an end Sunday when the Giants face the Raiders in Oakland.

“It’s a heck of a streak, and just hats off to him for what he’s been able to do,” McCown said. “You hate to see a guy have to go through that. It’s the hard part of this business.”

Todd Bowles said he had “no reaction” to the news, despite coaching Smith for two seasons in Florham Park, including 2015, when Smith lost the starting job in training camp after IK Enemkpali broke the former second-round pick’s jaw with a punch inside the Jets’ locker room.