Seahawks must beware these trap games for 2017
Trap games are the bane of coaches and fans. Which games stack up as the Seahawks most likely traps in 2017?
The Seahawks, like any other team, can be sucked into the rabbit hole of the game. Let’s define the term for those unfamiliar with it. First, it’s a trap because it’s a game your team should easily win, but almost inexplicably loses. Second, a trap game is often between two more difficult games. Third, travel, fatigue, and your own recent record can all contribute to the potential for a trap game.
Before we take a look at this season’s potential trap games, let’s look back at 2016. Last year’s trap games can shed some light on what to look for this year.
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The Cardinals more or less trap games of 2016
A few other games may have qualified as traps in some ways. First there was that October 23rd Debacle in the Desert against the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks certainly played flat in the 6-6 tie. They were riding a three game winning streak, coming off a tough win versus the Atlanta Falcons. Calling the Cardinal game a trap doesn’t quite work, though, as Arizona was coming off a 13-3 season in 2014. They beat the Seahawks out for the division title that year, and an Arizona win would put them just half a game back of the Seahawks for 2016. There was far too much at stake for this to be a trap game. The Seahawks and Cardinals were both miserable in this game. Much like you were if you watched it.
The Christmas Eve rematch against the Cardinals also comes close to a trap game. Arizona was 5-8-1 coming into the game. The Seahawks had already locked up the division, and were coming off a 24-3 grounding of the Los Angeles Rams. However, a win here would have kept the Seahawks on pace for an 11-4-1 record. That would have vaulted them out of the first round of the playoffs. They certainly had no trouble with the Detroit Lions. Getting another week of rest for some banged up players and hosting their divisional round game instead of traveling would have been…nice. So the Seahawks had a lot to play for. No trap game here.
The real trap game of 2016 was on the West Coast…
…of Florida. Yeah, you thought I was going for San Francisco. Nope. That last game of 2016 was a tough win, but it was a win.
No, I’m thinking of the Beatdown at the Bay, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the Seahawks to the woodshed. The score was just 14-5, but it was even more miserable than the tie against the Cardinals. As the linked Seattle Times story says, the Buccaneers seriously outplayed Seattle. Not only did the Seahawks fall to a 5-5 team, they lost by more than a touchdown for the first time in five seasons.
Let’s see that trap game checklist. Lose to an inferior team? Check. Lose after winning streak? Check. Lose on the road? Check. Tampa Bay was indeed the trap game of 2016. Which leads me, at last, to…