#Of course the Jets are a mess heading into Patriots showdown

The Jets finally get a crack at the Patriots when they’re down — for the first time in two decades — with New England entering Monday night’s game at MetLife Stadium having lost its past four games.

Problem is the Jets have lost their past eight games (that would be every game they’ve played this season).

The Jets finally get to play the Patriots without Tom Brady.

Problem is they play the Patriots without Brady while without their own starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, who re-injured his right shoulder in last week’s loss in Kansas City and won’t play.

The Jets will have every one of their top receivers healthy and playing together for the first time all season — with Jamison Crowder back from his groin injury, Breshad Perriman returning from concussion protocol and rookie Denzel Mims playing his third NFL game after missing the first five with a hamstring injury he initially suffered this summer in training camp.

Problem is Darnold won’t be around to throw them the ball.

Because, of course.

“I think it’s going to be fun,’’ Perriman said of having the entire receiving corps together for the first time. “We’ve all been waiting for this moment to all get out there at the same time. It’s finally about to happen. Now we’re just going to go out there and have fun.”

Without Darnold.

Because, of course.

“I think it sucks for [Darnold],’’ Jets coach Adam Gase said. “He’s been waiting for those three guys to be together since the beginning. I hate it for him. I wish he had the opportunity to play with those three guys … and he felt like he was healthy and ready to go.’’

Until he wasn’t ready to go, ruled out at the end of the week when he realized he simply didn’t have the proper velocity on his passes, reluctantly stepping aside for veteran Joe Flacco for at least this game.

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, the Jets 2019 first-round draft pick, has been playing the best, most disruptive football of his career of late, coming off perhaps his best game as a pro against the Chiefs … and he’s not expected to play after suffering a hamstring injury in that game.

Because, of course.

Such is the sad plight of the Jets, who can never seem to take flight. Why does it feel like they’re always grounded?

Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, Brady’s successor, has had a rough month, turning the ball over and giving away games. Newton, in fact, has been so bad that he’s called himself out publicly, acknowledging that his job is in jeopardy if he doesn’t get his act together.

If you’ve followed the Jets long enough, though, you probably have a pretty good idea what’s likely to happen Monday night in the Meadowlands: Newton is going to right himself, put his Superman cape on and play like he did when he was the league MVP leading the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl.

Because, of course he will.

Everyone gets fat on the Jets. They’re like the ice cream shop right next door to the Weight Watchers clinic.

In his first press conference since summertime, Jets general manager Joe Douglas, whom all of Jets Nation had been waiting to hear from with explanations for the mess he’s overseen and with hope that the team is ready to fire Gase, doubled down last week on his beleaguered coach, saying he wants to fix this thing together with him.

“This is not all on Adam,’’ Douglas said. “The hope is that we can fix these problems together and be here together for a while.’’

Those words, to Jets fans, were akin to telling a child there will be no gifts in the stocking for Christmas.

Even though everyone knows the only person with the authority to fire Gase is CEO Christopher Johnson, Douglas attempting to publicly bail Gase out by taking blame for not giving him enough talent (which he hasn’t) was the last thing Jets fans wanted to hear.

But that’s what they got.

Because, of course.