FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A look at what's going on around the New York Jets as they prepare for Saturday's Week 16 game at the New England Patriots:
1. Scrooged: Call it the Christmas curse.
Saturday will be the sixth Christmas-Eve game in Jets history -- a day that has produced some of the franchise's bleakest moments.
2011: The Victor Cruz game. He scored on a 99-yard touchdown and the Giants won, sinking the Jets' playoff hopes.
2000: In Al Groh's last game, the Jets blew a playoff berth on the final day of the season, losing to the Baltimore Ravens after jumping to a 14-0 lead.
1995: They ended a 3-13 season with a shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints.
1994: In Pete Carroll's last game, the Jets were blown out by the Houston Oilers. Before the game, the Jets announced that general manager Dick Steinberg had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
You could say the jinx has made its way to 2016, because the Jets might not have their coach when they face the Patriots. Todd Bowles was hospitalized Friday and didn't make the trip to New England. There's a chance he could make it to the game, but you get the feeling Christmas isn't the holiday for the Jets.
2. Housing crisis: With 14 players on injured reserve, the Jets have so many players that seven temporary locker stalls have been placed in the middle of the locker room, creating a minicamp feel. For the record, they have used a league-high 70 players on the active roster -- a franchise record.
According to the NFL website, which tracks the statistic back to 1993, the record for most players in a season is 75. The Jacksonville Jaguars did it in back-to-back years, 2011 and 2012. The Jets' total will grow by at least one Saturday, as newly signed linebacker Randell Johnson likely will be active. It'll be tough to reach 75 with only two games to go, but you get the point.
3. Stunning stat of the day: The Jets have $39 million in cap charges on injured reserve. Yes, players on IR count on the salary cap.
4. Injuries everywhere: Not even the coaching staff is immune. John Scott, the assistant defensive line coach, was spotted one day at practice in a walking boot. Then, of course, Bowles took ill on Friday.
5. Here's to you, Mr. Robinson: Some people might be wondering why the Jets re-signed running back Khiry Robinson, who still isn't 100 percent after fracturing a leg in the final preseason game. If he doesn't play Saturday -- he's listed as questionable -- it'll be three straight games inactive.
Here's why: They like him a lot and they brought him back with an eye on 2017. They re-signed him to a two-year contract, which includes a $300,000 roster bonus and a $25,000 workout bonus in 2017, according to ESPN salary data. Late-season additions usually don't get bonus money; this shows they see long-term potential. Bowles said Robinson would've made the opening day roster if he hadn't been injured.
6. The new Chrebet? One of the Jets' few bright spots is rookie WR Robby Anderson, undrafted out of Temple. He became a full-time player when Eric Decker was placed on IR early in the season, and has responded with solid numbers -- 38 catches, 544 yards. Anderson's yardage total is seventh on the all-time list for rookies, behind some big names -- Keyshawn Johnson (844), Wesley Walker (740), Wayne Chrebet (726), Rob Moore (692), Derrick Gaffney (691) and Al Toon (662).
Anderson’s story is similar to that of Chrebet, one of the most popular players in team history. Like Anderson, Chrebet is a New Jersey native and wasn't drafted out of college. Chrebet's rookie year (1995) was dismal from a team standpoint (3-13), but he captivated everyone with his Cinderella story. He and Anderson couldn't be more different as receivers, but they both had to overcome long odds.
7. A chilly Winters: Talk about lousy timing. Right guard Brian Winters will need surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, only three months before he hits the free-agent market. He should be among the top four or five guards on the market, along with Luke Joeckel, T.J. Lang and Kevin Zeitler. For Winters' sake, you hope the injury doesn't hurt his value. He will be the most coveted among the Jets' unrestricted free agents.
Another Jets free agent, Josh Martin, is the leading tackler on special teams. He won't get a flood of interest, but something tells me he'll get a call from the Patriots. He drew effusive praise this week from Pats coach Bill Belichick, who also praised Martin during the runup to the teams' Week 12 meeting.
8. Built like a Matt truck: Jets RB Matt Forte probably won't play due to knee and shoulder injuries, but you have to admire his toughness. He knowingly played this season with a torn meniscus in his knee, rushing for nearly 800 yards in 12 games before hitting a wall. The coaching staff loves Forte's professionalism and was hoping he could reach 1,000 yards. It would've been a tremendous personal milestone at age 31. The Jets need more Fortes in their locker room.
9. Brady the assassin: Jets defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, a member of the New England Patriots from May to October, is looking forward to playing Saturday at Gillette Stadium. During his time in Foxborough, he formed a strong opinion of QB Tom Brady.
"I'm looking at him in OTAs and I'm like, 'This dude is for real. He's the real deal,'" Johnson told me. "He was so focused. I could tell from the first day I got there he was a different type of quarterback. I've been around [Ryan] Tannehill and [Kirk] Cousins, but what separates Tom Brady from the other quarterbacks in the NFL is his mentality. He has that killer mentality, man, like he's not going to be beat. [In practice], the defense never wins when Tom Brady is on the field."
