Safety Justin Simmons has joined the growing list of injured Broncos. The second-year safety was placed on injured reserve because of an ankle injury he suffered in the Broncos’ win over the New York Jets last Sunday.

Simmons hurt his ankle while celebrating Brandon Marshall‘s strip-sack of Josh McCown in the first quarter, and he left the stadium in a walking boot.

“Tough break. It’s almost like a freak accident, but I’m going to be completely optimistic,” Simmons said Sunday evening. “Walking around in this boot, even putting pressure on it before the boot, it wasn’t terrible. It was tolerable. I bet tomorrow is going to be worse, but if I can get the swelling down and the pain down … like I said, I’m trying to be optimistic. I want to play Thursday.”

Broncos coach Vance Joseph labeled Simmons’ injury a “mild, high ankle sprain” and said he would be day-to-day with his recovery. But Simmons did not practice during the team’s short week and will now use the remainder of the season to recover.

Simmons, who was elevated to the starting role when T.J. Ward was released in early September, started all 13 games and ranked third on the team with 63 tackles (46 solo). He also recorded one sack for a loss of 6 yards, two interceptions, one interception returned for a touchdown and five pass breakups.

Fellow second-year safety Will Parks filled in for Simmons when he left Sunday’s game, and Parks likely will be the team’s starter for the final three games of the season.

“Will’s been a starter all year for us, so I wasn’t surprised that he can go in a game and operate for us,” Joseph said. “It was more at high safety. But he’s repped there all season, so I wasn’t surprised he played well.”

The Broncos also ruled out quarterback Paxton Lynch for Thursday’s game because of an ankle sprain and listed nose tackle Domata Peko as questionable to play. Peko missed the last two games because of an MCL sprain, but Joseph said earlier in the week that he “progressed fine” and “should be able to go.”

Color rush. The Broncos will wear their all-orange color rush uniforms and navy helmets with the old “D” logo Thursday night. The Broncos wore the uniforms last year in their Thursday night loss to the Chargers in San Diego.

The uniforms drew mixed reviews from Broncos players.

“I’m not crazy about them. I think we look like human traffic cones out there,” quarterback Trevor Siemian said. “There was a time this year they didn’t give me a jersey in my locker, so I’ll take it. As long as there’s a jersey in my locker, I’m good.

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Added linebacker Von Miller: “I like it. You know me, come on it’s me (laughing). I like it. Bright colors, I like it. The whole team orange, I think it looks great. Some of the color rush colors don’t look as dope as ours. It’s dope, you get to go out there in all orange and play in front of the world. It’s a wonderful night.”

Praise for Stephenson. The Broncos have placed three offensive lineman on injured reserve this year and have continued their years-long search for a reliable right tackle. Menelik Watson opened as the team’s starter, but a foot injury ended his year early and prompted the Broncos to shift Allen Barbre to the right side.

But for the past two games, Donald Stephenson has taken the reins.

Stephenson, a 2016 free-agent pickup, bounced in and out of the starting lineup last year because of injury and performance, but has recently earned high praise from his coaches.

“I’ll tell you what, I was really impressed with him,” coach Vance Joseph said following the Broncos’ loss to the Dolphins in Week 13. “Again, you don’t play perfect football games, but against a Cameron Wake to battle that way and block that guy most of the time, I was impressed with Donald.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Stephenson allowed only one pressure (a sack) in 37 pass-protection snaps during the Broncos’ win over the New York Jets and graded out as the team’s top O-lineman in the game.

Stephenson is set to start again in the Broncos’ Thursday night game in Indianapolis. And as the season winds down, his late surge is critical as Broncos players audition for their future with the team as well as the 31 other NFL teams. Stephenson restructured his contract in the offseason to increase his guaranteed money for 2017 but eliminate his salary for 2018, making him a free agent in March.

Stat change. The Broncos’ sack in the third quarter of their win against the Jets has been credited to defensive end Adam Gotsis. It is his second sack of the season and the third time in the last four weeks he’s posted a tackle for a loss.