Broncos coach Sean Payton has attributed those struggles to several factors, including his own scheme and play-calling. Payton has also said Denver might be rotating in too many different players, and he seemed to hint that some personnel changes could be on the way.

Sean Payton is hopeful the Denver Broncos' extended East Coast trip will help them bond the way his old New Orleans Saints teams did when they played an East Coast game before flying across the Atlantic for a game in London.

Now, some teams are capable of still being productive on the ground in those scenarios. The L.A. Chargers (no surprise under new coach Jim Harbaugh), New Orleans and New England are among the teams running the ball well despite facing eight-man boxes more frequently than almost everybody in the league.