It's A Trap!

As much as coaches and players don't want to admit it, there are such things as trap games.

A trap game happens to a team when it is beaming with confidence and facing a supposedly 'inferior' opponent. Examples of such games stem far back in football and happen on a regular basis in the NFL. The most recent example is perhaps the Saints-Rams game last Sunday. The Saints, favorites on the road, were facing a winless Rams that were forced to start their back-up quarterback, A.J. Feeley, against a team two years removed from a Super Bowl championship.

The result was a 31-21 Rams victory in a game that was actually less close than the final score indicates. Drew Brees threw two interceptions, including one for a touchdown, and was sacked six times. In the post game press conference, Brees said "We talked about this all week, we tried to guard against it. Obviously, we didn't do a very good job for preparing ourselves to come [to St. Louis] and win a game."

What were the Saints trying to guard against? A trap game.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs find themselves in a similar situation. No, they are not two years removed from winning it all, but they do have a nice four game win streak and a big win over a division rival on Monday Night Football going against the winless Dolphins. And for the first time in a long time, the Chiefs are actually favored in this game (which I view as a bad thing).

The Chiefs are coming off a short week, and a miracle win. Emotions, I imagine, are high in the locker room, and the team looks like it has regained its confidence and even their swagger. They probably even feel a sense of invincibility right now. That is not good.

The Chiefs cannot afford to look past the Dolphins (even if fans already have). Miami is not nearly as bad as their record indicates, and they have lost some real heart breakers. Here's how their games have turned out so far this season:

1. Patriots 38 Dolphins 24
2. Texans 23 Dolphins 13
3. Browns 17 Dolphins 16
4. Chargers 26 Dolphins 16
5. Jets 24 Dolphins 6
6. Broncos 18 Dolphins 15 OT
7. Giants 20 Dolphins 17

Three of those games, the Dolphins had the lead in the fourth quarter (Browns, Broncos, Giants). Against the Browns, they lost the lead with less than a minute left. Against the Broncos, they got Tebowed in the final 2:44 of the game and eventually lost by a field goal in overtime.

So, what I'm trying to say is, the Dolphins are a team that has had their share of bad luck. Much like the Bills last season, the Chiefs can't afford to play the Dolphins based on their record, because that almost always leads to an upset. 

For now, the team seems to be saying all the right things. Josh Looney from kcchiefs.com was able to talk to some of the players and coaches about this upcoming game against the Dolphins. “We’ve watched this team on film and this is a good physical team and they’ve played a lot good opponents throughout the year and this is not a team that we take lightly at all,” Matt Cassel said. “This is a team that’s going to come out and play physical for four quarters and we have to play our best football in order to win.”

“This short week presents a challenge both physically and mentally and we’re working on both ends to try and make sure that our team is ready to go and ready to play their best game,” Haley said. “Paying attention to just the record with this team will be very dangerous and you would pay for it dearly from our perspective. This is a well-coached team, a team that ... has not only been in close games, but the teams that they have played are pretty strong teams."

Hopefully this attitude stays with the team, and they are able to prove why they are favored in this game.

Game Notes

Matt Cassel: 127/202 (62.9%), 1,367 yards, 9 TDs, 9 INTs
Matt Moore: 68/115 (59.1%), 706 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs

Jackie Battle: 64 carries, 302 yards (4.7 ypc), 1 TD
Reggie Bush: 75 carries, 335 yards (4.5 ypc)

Dwayne Bowe: 33 receptions, 558 yards, 4 TDs
Brandon Marshall: 38 receptions, 538 yards, 1 TD

Chiefs Defense: Pass-20th (251.4 ypg); Rush-22nd (122.1 ypg); Total-22nd (373.6 ypg)
Dolphins Defense: Pass-27th (270.7 ypg); Rush-13th (109.9 ypg); Total-23rd (380.6 ypg)