Jets trying to move past the same old same old

The clock sitting on the nightstand flips to 6 a.m., triggering the radio alarm that blares Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe.” It’s the recurring scene from the movie “Groundhog Day,” in which Bill Murray keeps reliving the same day.

The Jets are enduring Groundhog Day in real life.

They’ve lost five straight games. Their offense fails them every week. They’re changing quarterbacks — again.

Cue Sonny and Cher.

“It’s been weird,” tight end Tyler Conklin told Newsday. “[You think] this week there’s no way it ends up being like that again and the fact that it does, in a sense, it’s like, ‘What the [expletive]? There’s no way that happens again.’ It’s been hard to understand. It’s been hard to put words to it.”

Zach Wilson is back at quarterback and will try to help the Jets (4-8) snap their skid Sunday against the Texans (7-5) at MetLife Stadium before it matches last year’s season-ending six-game losing streak.

“I didn’t think it could be like last year again,'' Conklin said, "and here we are.”

The similarities are eerie.

Both years, the Jets got off to better starts than expected. (The caveat: expectations dropped this season after Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in Week 1). Both times, the Jets went into the bye after an impressive win and controlling their destiny.

They fell apart both times.

Wilson was benched in Week 12 both seasons. He returned in Week 15 last year because of an injury suffered by  Mike White. Wilson is back in Week 14 this year became of even worse quarterback play from the recently waived Tim Boyle and current backup Trevor Siemian.

The Jets didn’t score an offensive touchdown three times during last year’s losing streak. They’ve been held out of the end zone in three of the last five games.

Cue the music.

“Yeah, yeah, sometimes,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said about it feeling as if it’s Groundhog Day. “It is what it is. You just have to focus on what we can control, and that’s coming to work and making sure the defense and I’m in the right position and my body’s right.”

The Jets’ defense, except for a few games, has been consistently good. It allowed only 13 points last week and recorded a safety, but the offense was held to  two field goals in a loss to Atlanta.

Robert Saleh went back to Zach for what could be his final five games with the Jets. Wilson is under contract for $11.2 million next year, but the Jets will get a more proven veteran to back up Rodgers so they don’t repeat this season again.

Deep down, Wilson surely knows this, which is why no one other than he outright denied The Athletic’s report that he was “reluctant” to play again and risk injury.

Now that he has the football again, Wilson promised one thing:

“I’m going to have more fun,” he said.

There is one way this script can change and this year can end differently from last year.

It probably won’t matter, given that the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are microscopic. But Murray noticed the error of his ways in Groundhog Day and changed at the end. Maybe Wilson can, too.

It’s obvious he’s played too tight, too worried about making mistakes and not just letting it rip. Saleh wants Wilson to be faster with his decisions, trust what he sees and have an “[expletive] it mentality.” Wilson likes the sound of that. What does he have to lose?

“It’s being aggressively smart. I think that’s the word I need,” Wilson said. “When you see it, let it rip. Defense makes a good play, they make a good play. It’s understanding when it’s OK to make a mistake because you saw something, you let it rip and if something happens, something happens.

“It’s being aggressive and trusting. I think trust is the big word in there, too. Trusting what you see. Just understanding sometimes there will be some mistakes there, but the majority of the time when you trust what you see, good things can happen.”

The opponent Sunday is living the life the Jets’ organization envisioned when they hired Saleh and drafted Wilson No. 2 overall in 2021.

The Texans hired Saleh’s replacement as the 49ers' defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans, and drafted C.J Stroud. They have the No. 2 passing offense; the Jets have the second worst.

But the Jets hope to change that, starting now.

“Zach talked about it the other day. At this point, what do you have to lose?” Conklin said. “We got five games to play. He said, ‘I’m going to have the most fun I’ve had playing football and play the best football I can.’ He’ll be able to do that, and we all have to follow suit in the aspect of it’s a game we all love playing and we’ve had fun playing our whole lives — let’s get back to that.

“Hopefully we can start getting touchdowns on the board and start heading in the right direction.”

Roll the credits.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.