4TH & WRONG

ORCHARD PARK — There were very few shocking elements to the Jets’ mistake-ridden mess Sunday that inched them closer to the franchise quarterback that they so desperately need. Gang Green’s lid-lifting 21-12 loss to the slightly less-anemic Bills was as ugly and painful as we imagined it might be many months ago when the roster deconstruction began in earnest, but one troubling sign emerged from this embarrassment: Todd Bowles is repeating mistakes. It was an eerie case of deja vu 337 days after the Jets head coach vehemently defended an indefensible decision in a Week 5 loss at Pittsburgh. Bowles’ fourthquarter decision to punt on 4thand-2 from his own 46 despite being down by two scores sealed his team’s fate that day. His choice to punt on 4thand-8 from his own 44 despite being down by two scores sealed his team’s fate Sunday, too.

For all the good things that Bowles has done this year, like being a company man amid the Jets’ rebuild, this decision was unquestionably the wrong one.

Bowles’ decision punctuated a season-opening loss that had plenty of culprits. His defense gave up a ridiculous 19 plays of at least 10 yards (and nine of at least 20). His offense dink-and-dunked for four quarters.

In a sad way, we can excuse those shortcomings, because, well, they weren’t altogether surprising. Bowles doesn’t have enough difference-makers for this team to be relevant this season. That’s a given.

I still believe that Bowles is smart enough to lead this wayward franchise out of the abyss, but this latest tactical error isn’t exactly instilling me with resolve at the moment. Monday morning quarterbacking is part of the coaching life, but there is no gray area this time. This was poor game management. The Jets absolutely needed to go for it on fourth down. They trailed by nine points — two scores! — with four minutes to go. This was a no-brainer. Give your offense a chance to pick up the first down.

Eleven months ago, Bowles offered this explanation for why he punted despite being down 24-13 with 7:36 left in regulation: “We figured we could get them pinned down there and go threeand-out … I don’t think it’s a mistake.”

It was a mistake. Big Ben & Co. went on a touchdown drive to salt it away.

On Sunday, Bowles offered this explanation for why he punted in a 2112 game with four minutes left: “We thought we could get field position. We had three timeouts. We thought we could stop them and get the ball back. It’s as simple as that.”

Although the Jets defense had just forced back-to-back three-and-outs, Bowles’ unit had been gashed by LeSean McCoy (159 total yards) and unable to contain mobile quarterback Tyrod Taylor for much of the afternoon.

“We stopped them before,” Bowles said about his rationale for punting. “And we would have had the field position. Had we went for it on fourth and not gotten it and they got the ball back, by the time they would have punted with the three timeouts, we would have been backed up and it would have been hard to go about 90 yards.”

For the second time in less than a year, the defensive-minded head coach placed his faith in a defense that gave him no real reason to believe in it. It was a predictable outcome … again.

Taylor (8 rushes for 38 yards) scrambled for a back-breaking first down on third-and-7 with 3½ minutes left. It mattered little that the Bills ultimately punted it away.

The Jets didn’t get the ball back until 1:44 left in the game. They took over right around the same spot they punted (their own 41). The Jets lost more than two valuable minutes. Josh McCown’s second interception of the fourth quarter on the first play of that drive ended any hopes of a miracle.

“That’s coach’s decision,” McCown said of punting. “Obviously any time as a player you’re on the field and they say go for it, you go. You’re behind that. But Coach understands how to manage the game. We trust that. The chances to pin them and maybe back them up … makes sense too. Always in those situations, defer to Coach and what he thinks is best.”

Said Matt Forte: “It’s not my call. I run the plays that are called. So, if he called and wanted to go for it, then yeah. If not, then, no, it’s a good decision.”

Only it wasn’t a good decision. And every offensive player knew it regardless of the public spin. he Jets have enough things working against them that will be the soundtrack to this season: A lack of developed talent, management looking through a wide-angle lens and an owner craving a poster-boy quarterback.

The head coach needs to grow from his mistakes, not repeat them.

T