Texans game was a trap game - change my mind

[*PhilHos*]

Yes, I know the Texans are a good team. When I say this was a trap game, I'm thinking more along the lines of the Bengals overlooking the Texans to the Ravens game on Thursday.

Prior to the game, there were some on here that considered this a trap game and were worried (turns out, rightfully so). There was some "discussion" about whether or not this was even a trap game, but it's clear to me that it was. The offense disappeared after the opening drive until the 4th QTR and the defense being largely ineffective all game are evidence of that. I'm not saying the coaches didn't gameplan for the Texans, but it seems to me that they didn't put much thought into the gameplan and didn't seemingly make any adjustments until the 4th QTR.

It looks to me like the Bengals went in with a we'll beat them because we're better so we spent more time looking to the Ravens game attitude which maybe would've worked if the Texans were actually a bad team.

I just hope beating the Ravens on Thursday was worth the loss yesterday because losing to Baltimore means we may not even make the playoffs this season.

[Housh]

I think the phrase trap game gets thrown around too much


To me a trap game is a game like the Cardinals.

A shit team with no momentum coming and winning against a team that should’ve won without much issue


Texans are a good team and we’re red hot coming in. Thats not a trap game.

IMO we actually don’t have any trap games left besides the Colts, and have only been favored(This part is my own opinion, and it’s not based on records or stats) in 1 game. Cardinals and Colts imo are the only sure things we had. I feel like our schedule has evolved into the absolute hardest schedule in the league. With the AFCN ballin so hard right now it feels like only 2/17 games are easy wins.

[KillerGoose]

I think it depends on a person's definition of a trap game. I tend to think of a trap game as as a strong team losing to a perceived weak team. The Texans were 4-4 and had the #11 ranked offense in the league. Like you said, they are certainly not a bad team. Like, the Cardinals was a potential trap game. Bad record, easy game on the surface but they had a little life and it was in Arizona. If you overlook them, they could definitely beat you.

Houston is just a solid team. If you overlook Houston, you're just a moron.

[SunsetBengal]

(11-13-2023, 04:24 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I think it depends on a person's definition of a trap game. I tend to think of a trap game as as a strong team losing to a perceived weak team. The Texans were 4-4 and had the #11 ranked offense in the league. Like you said, they are certainly not a bad team. Like, the Cardinals was a potential trap game. Bad record, easy game on the surface but they had a little life and it was in Arizona. If you overlook them, they could definitely beat you.

Houston is just a solid team. If you overlook Houston, you're just a moron.

I think that many on here underestimated the Texans by pointing at their injury report and the fact that they lost to a doormat divisional opponent a few weeks ago.  So, in essence those fans got "trapped" into believing that a win versus the Texans was a gimme.

[KillerGoose]

(11-13-2023, 04:29 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I think that many on here underestimated the Texans by pointing at their injury report and the fact that they lost to a doormat divisional opponent a few weeks ago.  So, in essence those fans got "trapped" into believing that a win versus the Texans was a gimme.

Yeah, I think that may be what has happened for some. I've seen talk on here and Reddit as if Houston was some shit tier team and it just isn't the case. For whatever reason, people convinced themselves that a Texans victory was no issue when in reality they are a decent team with strong QB play. They also had a nice match-up for their running game, given that Cincinnati has had a porous run defense all season long. It wasn't all on Stroud to win it. 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

I'm going to say it until I'm blue in the face, but this was the Mike White game.

Circumstances prior or injury reports or whatever, were irrelevant.

In both cases you had:

- Teams that were on the cusp of .500 or so (I mean us, not the opponent)
- 1st year, D-oriented coaches with hungry players and even hungrier staffs
- Unproven QBs (albeit Stroud has significantly more juice behind him than Mike White. If Stroud didn't have the Tampa game, he would be similarly ho hum, IMO)
- Below-par weapons (NYJ because they sucked, HOU due to injuries) that torched the team
- Late/no adjustments to the torching by Lou
- Just constant dink and dunk plays, leading to huge plays that shouldn't have happened, frustrating all of us to death.
- 3 turnovers by the opponent that we did nothing with in the end
- Referee calls (or non-calls, in HOU case) in pivotal moments that severely hampered the Bengals
- Over 500 yards of offense for both teams (511 for NYJ, 544 for Texans).

Mike White's longest pass was 26 yards, yet he threw for almost 10 YPA (9)
Stroud's longest pass was 34 yards (seemed like they were longer, doesn't it?), yet he also threw for almost 10 YPA (9.1)

The only real difference was that NYJ ran for 97 yards, while the Texans ran for 188... but the same things abounded: not so much missed tackles (thought that hurt us in both games), moreso just not being in the right position to make said tackle, that's what killed us in the run game.

We were 5-3 after that game (5-4 now) and then we had our lowest point of the year the following week, ending up 5-4 against the Browns.

Trap or not, there are too many similarities to the two games. Let's hope we rebound on Thursday like we did in '21.

[*PhilHos*]

(11-13-2023, 04:22 PM)Housh Wrote: I think the phrase trap game gets thrown around too much


To me a trap game is a game like the Cardinals.

A shit team with no momentum coming and winning against a team that should’ve won without much issue


Texans are a good team and we’re red hot coming in. Thats not a trap game.

IMO we actually don’t have any trap games left besides the Colts, and have only been favored(This part is my own opinion, and it’s not based on records or stats) in 1 game. Cardinals and Colts imo are the only sure things we had. I feel like our schedule has evolved into the absolute hardest schedule in the league. With the AFCN ballin so hard right now it feels like only 2/17 games are easy wins.

(11-13-2023, 04:24 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I think it depends on a person's definition of a trap game. I tend to think of a trap game as as a strong team losing to a perceived weak team. The Texans were 4-4 and had the #11 ranked offense in the league. Like you said, they are certainly not a bad team. Like, the Cardinals was a potential trap game. Bad record, easy game on the surface but they had a little life and it was in Arizona. If you overlook them, they could definitely beat you.

Houston is just a solid team. If you overlook Houston, you're just a moron.

My thinking is that the Bengals as a team overlooked the Texans as a weaker team. While I agree the Texans are clearly a decent, if not good, team, I think the Bengals looked at them more as the bad team they've been the last few years. In that sense, they fell prey to the "trap game" by overlooking Houston.

[*PhilHos*]

(11-13-2023, 05:06 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: I'm going to say it until I'm blue in the face, but this was the Mike White game.

Circumstances prior or injury reports or whatever, were irrelevant.

In both cases you had:

- Teams that were on the cusp of .500 or so
- 1st year, D-oriented coaches with hungry players and even hungrier staffs
- Unproven QBs (albeit Stroud has significantly more juice behind him than Mike White. If Stroud didn't have the Tampa game, he would be similarly ho hum, IMO)
- Below-par weapons (NYJ because they sucked, HOU due to injuries) that torched the team
- Late/no adjustments to the torching by Lou
- Just constant dink and dunk plays, leading to huge plays that shouldn't have happened, frustrating all of us to death.
- 3 turnovers by the opponent that we did nothing with in the end
- Referee calls (or non-calls, in HOU case) in pivotal moments that severely hampered the Bengals
- Over 500 yards of offense for both teams (511 for NYJ, 544 for Texans).

Mike White's longest pass was 26 yards, yet he threw for almost 10 YPA (9)
Stroud's longest pass was 34 yards (seemed like they were longer, doesn't it?), yet he also threw for almost 10 YPA (9.1)

The only real difference was that NYJ ran for 97 yards, while the Texans ran for 188... but the same things abounded: not so much missed tackles (thought that hurt us in both games), moreso just not being in the right position to make said tackle, that's what killed us in the run game.

We were 5-3 after that game (5-4 now) and then we had our lowest point of the year the following week, ending up 5-4 against the Browns.

Trap or not, there are too many similarities to the two games. Let's hope we rebound on Thursday like we did in '21.

I'll say this, I think the loss to the Texans will give the team extra motivation and will come out laser focused against the Ravens. 

[*ochocincos*]

I remember going to the Texans@Bengals game in 2009, and I heard DeMeco Ryans' name mentioned on almost every damn tackle that game.
Dude was a tackling machine.

He sure looks like he's turning that team around, and he's doing it with some not-great offensive weapons.
Stroud is looking better than I thought he would (OSU QBs typically suck in the NFL).
They're getting more production out of Collins and Dell than I thought they would.
Singletary is helping provide a spark on the ground, but he was never a true RB1 when with the Bills.

Texans I think have the potential to actually win the AFC South, which I definitely wouldn't have said coming into the season.

[RegularGuy22]

Zac said all last week that they were not overlooking the Texans game. Said his players know it is one game at a time and they would be ready.

[Tony]

It wasn't no trap game. The Texans were better. The Bengals knew how important this game was. They straight up got beat by the better team.

[GodFather]

When you're in last place of the AFC North division, there should be no trap games.

I would say the coaches did not prep well at all for this game. it was a classic Bengal shitshow game like so many others this season unfortunately.

[*ochocincos*]

(11-13-2023, 04:29 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I think that many on here underestimated the Texans by pointing at their injury report and the fact that they lost to a doormat divisional opponent a few weeks ago.  So, in essence those fans got "trapped" into believing that a win versus the Texans was a gimme.

I would think most thought it was a gimme because they were 3-13-1 last year, and they just lucked into 4-4 going into the Bengals game.

[*Go Cards*]

(11-13-2023, 04:24 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I think it depends on a person's definition of a trap game. I tend to think of a trap game as as a strong team losing to a perceived weak team. The Texans were 4-4 and had the #11 ranked offense in the league. Like you said, they are certainly not a bad team. Like, the Cardinals was a potential trap game. Bad record, easy game on the surface but they had a little life and it was in Arizona. If you overlook them, they could definitely beat you.

Houston is just a solid team. If you overlook Houston, you're just a moron.

Agree with Philo that this fits what I would call a trap game as well, per the following game was huge for the Bengals. That is what I call a trap game, per it being sprung by looking past an opponent to an upcoming big game unknowingly. Subconsciously realizing its next but feel as if they're actually ready for today. Throw in the Texans did not even have a winning record, sporting a lengthy injury report, with a rookie QB, short week before said big game, and the Bengals were on a roll and that's a good recipe for a trap imho. 

Now I'm with you that its moronic to overlook Houston and I did not predict or even think there was a chance it would be a trap game, Mostly because of how bad the Bengals played early on when Burrow was hurt and thought they were still in "clawing out of the hole" mode.  Stand corrected though and think the Bengals fell into the trap. 

Know all opinions of traps are different though

[jj22]

A trap game? Fans sleeping in the Texans is on them not the team. Shroud had arrived and every team was long put on notice. Fans just wasn't paying attention. This was going to be a tough game, given his play this season. That's a SB team they just played.

[*Nately120*]

(11-13-2023, 06:55 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I remember going to the Texans@Bengals game in 2009, and I heard DeMeco Ryans' name mentioned on almost every damn tackle that game.
Dude was a tackling machine.

He sure looks like he's turning that team around, and he's doing it with some not-great offensive weapons.
Stroud is looking better than I thought he would (OSU QBs typically suck in the NFL).
They're getting more production out of Collins and Dell than I thought they would.
Singletary is helping provide a spark on the ground, but he was never a true RB1 when with the Bills.

Texans I think have the potential to actually win the AFC South, which I definitely wouldn't have said coming into the season.

Wasn't that the game where the short-lived legend of Antwan Odom was forever dashed?

[Tomkat]

This wasn't a "trap game" so much as it was a "let down" game.
Bengals coming off 2 HUGE wins against San Fran and Buffalo - and they couldn't keep up the intensity versus a perceived (not actually) "inferior" opponent.

[BengalsRocker]

Not a trap game. Sorry.

Stroud playing a stellar season for a rookie coming into the game.

I don't think they were overlooking them at all.

Bengals shot themselves in the foot several times in this game.

Burrow throwing endzone pick, Boyd dropping TD catch, not tackling properly to force for longer Texans FG try.

Mostly just guys making individual mental mistakes in the moment of the game.

[*bfine32*]

BLUF: I cannot change your mind in this thread.

If I've learned anything from being on the Bengals forum for about the last 17 years it's:

You're not changing anyone's mind in a thread.

That person may change their mind in time and admit it in a different thread, but it's not happening in a thread where someone already gave their opinion.

[chrisball96]

I don’t think it was a trap game in the sense that we were sleepwalking or playing cocky. But the offense just was inexplicably bad for large chunks of the second and third quarters and the defense had a bad day. I think those things just happen at times mostly because the Texans are a legitimately good team. There were big plays that didn’t go our way with the drops and interceptions and while that was extremely frustrating we were still at least in a position to salvage it and win.