The Denver Broncos earned an impressive, come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night to improve their record to 2-1 on the season. But it didn't come easily.
Trailing 16-0 at halftime, the Broncos needed a concerted effort to get back into the game. Professional football is often a game decided by waves of momentum, and the Broncos grabbed the momentum in the second half to lead a furious charge over the game's final 30 minutes.
The Broncos came out of the locker room following halftime facing an important drive. But after going three-and-out, they were forced to punt. They stood tall on defense and forced a Rams punt, and the ensuing play was the play that started the Broncos' comeback.
Undrafted rookie Kolbe Katsis fielded
a punt and returned it 28 yards to the Rams' 42-yard line. This set the Broncos up with the best starting field position they had all game and led to their first touchdown. Later in the game, he would also have a 10-yard punt return, but it was that first return that really got the Broncos going.
When the Broncos announced their undrafted free-agent signings after this year's draft, one of the more interesting names on the list was that of Katsis, mostly for his abilities as a return man. He showed himself to be a great return specialist in the preseason, and it seemed likely that he would appear in games for the team this season.
When Marvin Mims Jr. was made inactive for Sunday night's game, it cleared the way for Katsis to make an explosive debut. On the night, he returned three punts for 39 yards and also had four kickoff returns for 107 yards (26.7-yard average).
Head coach Sean Payton spoke on Katsis' debut following the game.
“You never know in that first moment and you could see the preseason games, but the one return was the spark force, the punt return," Payton said. "I thought — you guys saw him in the preseason, you could see and feel the juice on the sidelines with the kick returns. I think it was a good first night if I’m him. He’ll probably sleep better than me.”
Katsis could find himself getting a lot more opportunities in the future as the Broncos' return specialist, even if Mims is healthy.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos’ undrafted rookie helped spark comeback in his NFL debut
