The morning after the Jets’ 17-13 Mile High Meltdown, Rex Ryan called the loss “huge” and admitted Tim Tebow’s 95-yard game-winning drive was “still hard to fathom.”

But the coach vowed confidence in his team and defended his quarterback, saying Mark Sanchez would be his starter as long as he was in New York.

Ryan admitted “every area” of the team has some issues, from inconsistent pass protection to a sputtering running game to shocking breakdowns on special teams.

The loss in Denver has left them no AFC East wiggle room, prompting Ryan to say “Our playoffs start right now, there’s no question. We have to beat Buffalo. I don’t see any breathing room. We’ve already used that up.”

Though Ryan acknowledged Sanchez has to get better, as did the quarterback, the coach said the same holds true for every player and coach.

“I’m extremely confident. We’ll go out there and play tomorrow. That’s how I feel about Mark. This is our quarterback,” Ryan said. “He’s going to be our quarterback as long as I’m here, and I hope that’s a long, long time. We know we got the right guy. We just have to get a little bit better … we all have to get better.”

“It doesn’t belong on Mark’s shoulders. He’s just a player. He’s a big piece of the puzzle, but it isn’t all on Mark Sanchez.”

Ryan said Sanchez was “beat up pretty good,” and that RB Shonn Greene sustained a rib injury, although X-rays last night in Denver were negative. He was unsure of the status of DL Muhammad Wilkerson but did add “that’s the best our front three has played since I’ve been here … They absolutely dominated the inside running game.”