NFL seasons generally are divided into different phases.

They all begin with the hope phase.

Regardless of what a team’s talent level is or what its preseason expectations are, all 32 teams begin every season believing they have what it takes to contend for a Super Bowl title.

In many cases, such as in the case of the Jets this season — 5-9 entering Sunday’s home game against the Steelers — the hope phase quickly is dashed and the sobering reality that they will not contend sets in. The Jets’ 0-4 start sealed their fate pretty quickly, leaving little doubt that a playoff berth was not going to be in the offing.

Next is the pressure-point phase.

How do teams handle the middle part of the season, when they’re trying to position themselves to contend in December or they’re fading from contention?

In the case of these Jets, with the promise of a new head coach in Adam Gase, a dynamic defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, quarterback Sam Darnold in his second-year and some key free-agent acquisitions like linebacker C.J. Mosley, they had expectations of possibly contending for a playoff berth.

But the 1-7 record at midseason left the Jets in crisis and their fans enraged that they were mired in yet another miserable season. Questions about whether Gase would make it to the second year of his contract were raised — and eventually answered when team CEO Christopher Johnson gave him a vote of confidence for 2020.

So, whether Jets fans like it or not (and most don’t), Gase is here to stay — at for least another season.

The third leg of these NFL seasons is the contention or resignation phase.

Teams are either making their run or they’re long out of the playoff picture and realizing they’re simply playing out the string.

The Jets, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010, have played out enough string in the past nine seasons to help wrap every Christmas gift on the North Pole this year.

If there’s a sliver of positive that’s come from this lost Jets season, it’s that they’ve been forced to use so many players because of the litany of injuries they’ve suffered to starting players; so many that their first-year general manager Joe Douglas has gotten a head start on the building of his 2020 team.

Douglas already has gone through the interview and evaluation process with a roster full of players he likely wouldn’t have known much about had those players not been forced into expanded playing time because of all the injuries.

For example, Douglas now has a good idea of what linebackers James Burgess and Neville Hewitt can do thanks to the loss of starters Avery Williamson and Mosley for the season. He now knows what cornerback Bless Austin can do thanks to the poor performance and eventual injury to starter Trumaine Johnson.

Other players, such as defensive lineman Kyle Phillips and Folorunso Fatukasi, have gotten more playing time in the rotation and shown potential.

Robby Anderson, particularly in the past month or so as the team’s No. 1 receiver by default, has made significant strides showing himself as a more complete receiver rather a one-trick-pony who runs only “go” routes with his speed.

These are just few examples of players who’ve emerged because of unforeseen opportunities and possibly cemented roles for themselves as building blocks to the 2020 team.

“With all the injuries we’ve had, we’ve had a unique opportunity to give a lot of people a lot of playing time,’’ veteran linebacker Brandon Copeland said Monday. “There’s a lot of guys who are playing — and playing bigger roles — and a lot of those guys are playing well. That’s a huge benefit going down the road.’’

When he started losing players to injuries, Gase’s default response was to talk about the opportunity created for backup players to grow, develop and contribute.

And, as writers who cover the team and become numb to coaching clichés, eyes often rolled when Gase would say this, viewing it simply as a coach putting a positive spin on a negative story.

In the end, though, Gase’s stock answer was true. We have, indeed, found out about a lot of players we otherwise wouldn’t have seen play much had it not been for all the injuries.

And the most important eyes on those players have been Douglas’ eyes, with a look toward 2020 and beyond.