LOS ANGELES — On the opening play of the season, Rams kicker Josh Karty’s kickoff landed at the 14-yard line and spun end-over-end, picking up speed as it whizzed past the Houston Texans return man and into the end zone.

As that returner grabbed the ball and took a knee, Karty looked to the sideline, arm raised, ready to celebrate a successful outcome in his first attempt at the NFL’s latest version of the dynamic kickoff.

“I was able to practice a couple times in the preseason, got better kind of the more I did it,” Karty said. “To have the first play of the year be a touchback minor, that was a lot of fun. Definitely had the adrenaline going a little bit.”

The tweak to the kickoff rule this offseason moved a touchback from the 30- to the 35-yard line, a difference that was unpalatable

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