Buffalo Offensive line gaps

Fundamentally offensive line gaps (spacing between linemen) are often used to determine in scouting a team what type of plays are about to be run. For example wider gaps often indicate runs with pulls or traps or tighter ones a pass play or outside run. Offenses try to gain advantages without the gaps being too obvious to opposing defenses. Defensive scouts try to pick up on any patterns

Through film study or analysis, defensive coaches will pick up on this so they can give their team tells/reads for plays.

Buffalo’s O-line created a very wide split with the left tackle and left guard. Then the left guard would crash down to the right on pull plays creating gaping holes on the left side as the Cowboys DE would rush the outside edge. Then when the DE would try to compensate Buffalo worked the outside.

There were no changes in the D-line scheme to compensate for this obvious gap wrinkle and Buffalo took advantage all night.

It would appear that an adjustment such the MLB lining up to shoot the gap is one possible solution. Quinn seemed not to change scheme and they blamed tackling as a reason for the running game success but you could say tackling is more difficult if you are out of position because of Buffalo’s scheme in the run game using this gap strategy. They needed to go bear with 3 DL and two DE to stop this.