After securing up a pair of head-scratching and hair-raising home wins, it’s back on the road for the Denver Broncos this week (and next). However, much of the magic they conjured up to beat both Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Rams won’t be traveling along with them.

Back in the day, it was called “Mile High Magic,” and it’s back. It’s been a big part of the Broncos success thus far. That won’t be available in San Francisco on Sunday… or against their nemesis, the Chargers, the following week. They’ve got to find another way.

For starters, having seen what’s transpired during 12 quarters of Broncos football, it’s clear that the Broncos’ set of scripted first-quarter plays aren’t working. If his next contract was going to be based on how quarterback Bo Nix performs before halftime, that next offer will be something around minimum wage. Yes, they’re 2-1 and considering the schedule, that’s just fine.

But this is no time to celebrate. How can they fix things before the team plane leaves for the West Coast?

Here’s an idea: The NFL is often called a “copycat” league, meaning coaches tend to steal ideas, formations and play styles from other successful teams. Despite narrowly defeating the Rams on Sunday night, Sean Payton and Davis Webb should steal LA’s offensive scheme of using multiple tight ends as a base set rather than multiple wide receivers.

Finesse football – which is the pass-heavy style best known by Webb – doesn’t travel well. We saw what happened when the Rams were forced to go there in the second half, even with reigning NFL MVP Matt Stafford. We know the slow starts by Nix and the offense will be far more problematic away from Mile High, where a raucous crowd isn’t in your corner to help fuel yet another crazy, fourth-quarter comeback. The Rams just showed Denver that the best way to slow down the home team’s momentum and control the game early on is to run the football. A lot.

If the Broncos can stay even with their opponents in time of possession and on the scoreboard for the first 30 minutes, they might not lose another game.

That’s not going to happen, however, if they keep using a finesse approach. The highly touted five-man Broncos offensive line is proving to be overrated. They clearly aren’t the best unit in the NFL, despite what some sets of numbers might say. In standard formations, Denver struggles to run the football, period. Blame the backs if you want, but the fact is nobody is getting much room to run.

That script gets flipped when more blockers are inserted, whether that’s a fullback – which Denver has – or additional linemen, including pass-catching threats in tight ends Nate Adkins, Evan Engram and Adam Troutman. The “13 personnel” set, as they call it, presents a lot of problems – physically and otherwise – for opposing defenses.

Imagine if the Broncos started the game in San Francisco in 13 personnel, and were not only able to control the ball and the clock, but put up a score or two in the process? A rested and ready defense along with second half Bo? Broncos fans would take that.

Forcing the other team to adjust to something they probably don’t expect would then open up the playbook for Webb, Nix and the offense in the second half, when things have been clicking nicely and confidence is high, even away from Mile High.