ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In the aftermath of the Broncos' second consecutive comeback win, the sentiment in Denver's locker room was a familiar one.

"It's pretty inspiring, the fight that we have and the willingness to go out there and compete," cornerback Pat Surtain II said immediately following the 30-26 win over the Rams. "No matter how far we're down, no matter what the game is looking like, we always find a way to come back and find a way to win."

The Broncos battled back from a 16-point deficit to secure their second win of the 2026 season, and on Monday, tight end Adam Trautman even described Denver's resiliency and ability to execute in crunch time as "kind of a trademark of this team right now."

But while Head Coach Sean Payton spoke highly of his team's resolve and ability to make the plays necessary to win close games, he also acknowledged the ongoing race to improve and the need to start faster moving forward.

"I'm comfortable with the grit of a team that can play well in the fourth quarter," Payton said Sunday. "I'm uncomfortable with how we play at the start of games. … You're going to be in tight games. But as the head coach, you can't possibly be comfortable with the way the first half unfolds."

In the first half of Sunday's game, Denver was held scoreless as the team struggled to sustain drives and punted the ball away on three of four possessions. The Broncos recorded just 67 net yards in the first half and possessed the ball for 10:15, while the Rams held the ball for 19:45.

It was an entirely different story in the second half, as the Broncos exploded for 30 points in a game that Payton later described as "a tale of two halves."

But on Monday, Payton reiterated the need for more offensive production early in games, something that he said will ultimately come down to cleaning up details and being more efficient on early downs.

"I think it gets back to your initial assessment of the game plan and how you want to begin a game," Payton said. "Cleaning up the details. Obviously, you can't throw them all in a first-half slow start bin. What you have to be able to look at is, 'All right, what are the things that have kept us from some early down efficiency?' We're not splitting the atom here, relative to trying to move the football more efficiently earlier in the games. I just think that we've had a few games [of] that — look at Kansas City and then this game — where just from a yardage [perspective], third down, all of those numbers. And even Jacksonville, for that matter."

Trautman, who said it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what has caused Denver's slow starts, said one thing is clear: Staying ahead of the chains is of the utmost importance.

"We've got a lot of stuff to work on," Trautman said. "… Obviously, we've got to figure out a way to stay ahead of the chains and really get to what we game-planned and kind of how we want to attack the defense. We just have to sustain drives."

Denver did just that in the second half, stringing together a 12-play, 42-yard drive that consumed 5:08, culminating in the team's first score in the third quarter. Quarterback Bo Nix then led a seven-play, 52-yard drive that was capped by a touchdown to tight end Nate Adkins, and two successful two-point conversions following each touchdown evened the score.

The Broncos ultimately came out on top in the back-and-forth battle. But while the team has gleaned confidence from the fact that they have "been there and done that" — according to Nix — Denver will continue to search for ways to replicate their second-half efficiency early and often.

"Honestly, that is what we're trying to get to," wide receiver Courtland Sutton said Sunday. "We're trying to be able to find a way to put together four quarters of what we've done the past two second halves. … A shooter might miss three shots or whatever, but once they see that one go in, it allows them to have that confidence to keep shooting. And then next thing you know, they look up and they've got 30 points. So, I think that you have to have that shooter's mentality, and our mindset is trying to figure out a way to make that first one go in faster."

WR PAT BRYANT DELIVERS BIG PLAYS IN BIG MOMENTS

Throughout training camp, wide receiver Pat Bryant made big play after big play, providing a glimpse of his potential to be a game-changing player in 2026.

In the Broncos' "Sunday Night Football" matchup, that potential turned into reality.

"He really showed growth during camp this year," cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian said of Bryant Monday. "So, it's not surprising, him making the plays he's making right now. We saw it all camp. A big catch radius, [him] having strong hands in traffic and then the run after the catch. We saw it all during camp."

During Sunday's win, Bryant made plays when the Broncos needed them most. He caught the first touchdown pass of the night, and he later leaped up to make an impressive grab for the Broncos' second successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 16.

"He has real good hands away from his body," Payton said Monday. "He high-points the two-point play. It was really covered, and Bo and he do a great job of just finding a throwing lane. Because of how he can catch, he's good with run after the catch. We saw a few snaps of it last night. You guys saw it all through training camp, so it's good to see him come up [big] in a game like that."

Bryant also recorded a 39-yard catch-and-run to secure a first down when Denver faced a second-and-20 late in the fourth quarter, and the drive ultimately ended with the go-ahead touchdown. The second-year receiver finished the game with two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown, the aforementioned successful two-point conversion reception and a crucial fumble recovery that he ran for a first down, preventing a turnover and  a premature end to the Broncos' second touchdown drive.

"Him coming along like this, it's a great thing to see," McMillian said. "He's going to keep getting better and better."