The Simple math will be as cruel to Austin Seferian-Jenkins as the film review will be Monday.
The Jets lost by eight points to the favored Panthers, who beat them 35-27 Sunday to dash any of those fleeting chances of them stunning the sports world with a playoff run.
And the Jets tight end, on two fateful plays, single-handedly left eight points on the dark-green MetLife Stadium end-zone turf on two dropped touchdown passes that left the Jets settling for field goals.
So, instead of 14 points on those two plays, the Jets scored six.
“If I make those plays … I think we win the game,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I was single-handedly the culprit for why we didn’t score today in the red zone. I take full responsibility. If I catch both of those, it’s a different game.”
The first play, which took place on the Jets’ opening offensive possession in the first quarter, was more clear cut than the second, which took place early in the fourth quarter.
On the first, Seferian-Jenkins was wide open for quarterback Josh McCown’s 13-yard third-down pass, and he bobbled it away as he fell to the ground.
The Jets settled for a 31-yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal to tie the score at 3-3, instead of taking a 7-3 lead.
On the second, Seferian-Jenkins appeared to make a terrific catch of a McCown 1-yard fade pass on second-and-goal as he had a step on Panthers cornerback James Bradberry in the right side of the end zone.
After replay review by the referee, it was determined that as Seferian-Jenkins fell to the ground, the ball moved in his hands before he went out of bounds and the call was reversed. The Jets settled for a 19-yard Catanzaro field goal and a 20-18 lead with 14:01 remaining instead of a 24-18 or 25-18 lead (with a two-point conversion).
After the game, Seferian-Jenkins — who as a recovering alcoholic has endured more difficult moments in life than dropping a couple of touchdown passes — was composed and accountable.
But Seferian-Jenkins, who’s played himself into becoming one of the terrific stories in the NFL as a legitimate candidate for Comeback Player of the Year this season, wants to be known for being more than a guy who has overcome alcohol abuse.
“If I’m going to be great, I’ve got to go through things like this,” he told The Post in a quiet moment before he left the stadium. “You’ve got to have adversity. You’ve got to have things that push you and make you better.”
Seferian-Jenkins has been better this season than he’s ever been. Despite missing the first two games while serving a league suspension related to his previous alcohol abuse, he entered Sunday’s game leading the Jets with 39 receptions — 18 more than he had in any of his previous three NFL seasons.
Jets tight ends, in the previous two seasons, produced a total of 25 receptions.
None of those things, of course, matters to Seferian-Jenkins. Earlier this season against the Patriots he was the victim of a highly questionable overturn of an apparent touchdown reception when officials ruled he didn’t have possession of the ball when he hit the pylon, turning the ball over to New England on a touchback and completely changing that game, a Jets loss.
After that game, as after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, Seferian-Jenkins took the high road.
“I’m a professional and I’m supposed to make those plays and I didn’t make the play,” he said.
“Austin’s a pro,” McCown said. “Obviously, he’s bummed, but there’s nobody I believe in more than Austin. He’s battled and overcome real adversity in life, so he’ll bounce back. I have 100 percent confidence in that. I just believe in him. I love him.”
Cornerback Morris Claiborne took immediate notice of Seferian-Jenkins by the way he worked in the offseason despite knowing he was going to miss the first two games while suspended.
“I gained respect for him just seeing how he worked this offseason, knowing he had a suspension coming,” Claiborne said. “He didn’t blame anybody else for his situation. He stood up like a man, took on that responsibility and did everything in his power he could do so that when he was back after his suspension, he was going to be ready.
“He’s just that type of guy who takes full responsibility of his actions.”
As he did Sunday.
“Tough game for myself, but that’s life,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “There’s going to be ups and downs and there’s going to be roadblocks.”
Those two plays, however consequential, were hardly the most difficult roadblocks Seferian-Jenkins has faced in his life. That’s why, in the end, he’ll prevail.