Insider says Broncos shouldn’t panic after Jameis Winston aberration, focus on Colts

High cost of living, inflation and the injury status of Riley Moss. Those are the three most important issues to Coloradoans this week. Unfortunately for the Broncos, their cornerback’s knee injury is expected to sideline him again this week against the Colts.

Without Moss in Denver’s last game before the bye, the Broncos (8-5) escaped with a 41-32 win over Cleveland. Jameis Winston passed for 497 yards and three touchdowns, one of which went to Jerry Jeudy (who had nine catches for 235 yards). The Browns tormented Levi Wallace, who replaced Moss in the Broncos’ lineup. But as Denver prepares to host Indianapolis (6-7) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX), NFL insider James Palmer isn’t worried about the Denver secondary, even if Moss doesn’t play.

“This is still the second-best defense in football in points allowed, even after that game,” Palmer said Tuesday on Coffee Break with Richie Carni on Denver Sports, 104.3 The Fan. “This is a defense that’s still very, very good.”

Indeed, only the Chargers (15.9) are allowing fewer points per game than Denver, which is tied for second with Detroit and Philadelphia (all with 18.0). Palmer said the win over the Browns was a Winston aberration and the Broncos should move on.

“I was talking to a DB coach about this yesterday,” Palmer said. “When you play Jameis Winston, there are certain rules that are broken by Jameis … The point is, he’ll throw balls that, within the rules that you’re following as a secondary, you shouldn’t throw that. ‘I shouldn’t worry about that because everything I’ve been taught as a DB, that’s not going to happen.’ Jameis is like, ‘Screw it,’ and he’s just throwing it.

“You know what? Sometimes that happens with Jameis and it all clicks and he throws for 500 yards. And then there’s the plays where he throws two pick-sixes. That’s Jameis in a nutshell.”

In a nutshell, this week means a lot more to Indianapolis than Denver. Also coming off a bye, the Colts are already two games behind first-place Houston (8-5) in the AFC South. That chasm is even greater considering Indianapolis already has lost twice to the Texans this season, erasing any hope for the Colts to claim a division tiebreaker. In fact, Houston can clinch the division this week with a home win over Miami and a Colts loss in Denver.

With only four games remaining, the Colts’ only chance to reach the postseason would be to finish a game ahead of the Texans or derail a wild-card team like the Broncos. Either way, the Colts have to win at Denver on Sunday and a head-to-head victory over the Broncos could be valuable in early January.

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