By now you know the Jets are 1-5, the Patriots 6-0, and the gap between them from a talent perspective as wide as the girth on the coach that beat them yesterday, Andy Reid. 

You know the stats on paper show exactly what the Jets are on the field ~ horrible.

It all started when I walked into the stadium and the Jets and Eagles took the field and the only team in green and white team was the bad guy.

It was throwback day at the Meadowlands and you would have thought they could have picked any other opponent to do it against. It looked like Michigan vs Michigan State. And the play wasn’t much better than an NCAA division 1 game. In fact, it was probably worse.

Even the flag team had to perform to music from way back when. However, they didn’t turn back the clocks with their uniform choice. What they were wearing would have never been allowed in public during the days of the Titans.

And speaking of uniforms, Eric Mangini must have forgotten to pack a gold or white shirt. It’s typical for the head coach to be dressed in a completely different color on the sideline so players and officials can easily spot him. Andy Reid was dressed in black (and clearly not representing any weight-loss companies), which offset the green and white on his sideline. Mangini was also dressed in black, but the only problem was his team was in dark blue. Every time I looked to the sideline it took me three scans to find him. My guess is the players on the field had the same problem. I quickly figured out to not look for the man in black, but instead search for the man with hands on hips and completely befuddled look on his face.

From the very start the Jets were playing like a team trying to get a high draft pick next year, which is about all they have left to play for this year. They seemed content to keep the game just close enough to lose in the end, which is exactly what happened.

The Jets won the toss and Thomas Jones looked like the running back we coveted in the off-season as the Jets drove right down the field, only to settle for a field goal. They seemed content to be up 3-0 instead of 7-0.

The Eagles responded with a big 3rd and 8 play that started after the 35-second clock clearly expired, and ended in a TD. Every fan in the stadium knew it, yet every referee missed it, and Mangini chose to just shift his weight from one foot to the other (hands still on hips) rather than argue with the officials. I guess even if he was ranting and raving the refs would have never spotted him. Most other winning coaches would have gone nuts, and even if it wouldn’t have changed that play, it certainly would have impacted another. But the Jets accepted the ref’s mistake without even a whimper.

Mike Nugent would miss another very make-able 42-yard field goal at a critical point in the game. With his kickoffs no longer consistently going into the end zone, and his field goals averaging one miss a game, there are plenty of kickers the Jets could be auditioning each Monday afternoon. And yet, the Jets seem content with less.

The Jets had a 3rd and 1 in the red zone and Chad Pennington could not get the first down on a QB-sneak that everyone seemed to know was coming, most notably the Eagles’ defensive line (I guess Thomas Jones can run for 130 yards, but not less than one?). Pennington then lofted a prayer into the end zone on 4th and the season, that was easily batted down by the Eagles defense to finish off the Jets and move Reid’s after-the-bye record to a perfect 9-0.

The Jets were 0-4 in the red zone, not scoring a TD with that many attempts since 2001 against the Bills. Chad Pennington is suffering his first 3-game losing streak as the Jets’ starting QB.

Eric Mangini continues to deny a QB change is forthcoming, saying that it’s a group effort. But anyone in this business knows that when a team needs a change to get moving in the right direction, it’s generally the head coach or QB who lose a job. And you know for sure Mangini isn’t going anywhere in the middle of the season.

But speaking of Mangini, has anyone else figured out that the Jets are the healthiest team in the NFL with not one key player injured? Just about every other team is playing a backup QB, RB or WR. Even the Patriots were without their best defensive corner back for four games. If you had asked Mangini at the beginning of training camp which key players he’d want on the field at this point in the season, basically all of them have been starting. And yet their record is 1-5. Their one win coming against a team with zero.

The biggest benefactor from this latest loss will probably be the ticket agencies, as fans were already mumbling in the stands about selling their tickets for the remaining games. Expect attendance to drop as the temperatures do.

Fireman Ed picked a great year to take off. Unfortunately, it looks like the Jets never will.

Jon Buzby is a nationally-syndicated columnist who can be reached through his website at www.jonbuzby.com.