Palmer injured his ankle and knee early in the second quarter of the team's Week 6 loss to the Falcons. He did not return to the game and was labeled as " week-to-week " by head coach Sean McDermott. He did not play in Week 8 or 9.

This costly strategic blunder came one week after Denver Broncos All-Pro kick returner Marvin Mims Jr. suffered a concussion on a runback against Dallas with less than 5 minutes remaining in the Broncos' 44-24 rout of the Cowboys.