Lamar Jackson's comments prove trap games alive and well in NFL … even in playoffs

There are some NFL bettors who don't subscribe to the theory of a "trap" game in the league simply because the season is so short and so are players' careers. Thus, the thinking goes that players go all out physically and mentally every single time. However, that's simply not the case. It's human nature to take what is perceived as a much lesser talented team much less seriously.

In last season's AFC playoffs, the Tennessee Titans went to New England and ended the Tom Brady dynasty with the Patriots in a 20-13 Wild-Card Round upset. Had the Patriots won that game, the AFC top-seeded Baltimore Ravens would have faced the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round.

Playing against Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins (now gone), JJ Watt and the Texans would surely have provided a much different level of motivation for the Ravens than facing a Ryan Tannehill-led Titans team, although Derrick Henry is a monster. Baltimore also was clearly "peeking ahead" to hosting the AFC title game against most likely Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Ravens, on a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, were 10-point home favorites vs. the Titans – Baltimore's first time as a double-digit playoff favorite – and were dominated in a shocking 28-12 loss. Henry gashed that defense for 195 yards on 30 carries.

This week, Baltimore QB and reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson said what many had presumed: The Ravens fell into a trap. "You can't underestimate no team, no opponent and that's what we did. … Don't underestimate your opponents. They caught us by surprise. That's all it was."

We have pinpointed a potential trap game in 2020 for the Ravens: Week 4 at the Redskins. We shall see if Jackson & Co. learned their lesson.

The Madden 21 video game cover was released this week and Jackson, the cover boy, nearly fell victim recently to the alleged "Madden Curse." In a video posted on social media Monday, Jackson is shown running with a football on the beach in a recent pickup game before colliding with a parked jet ski and falling headfirst into the water. Jackson turned out to be fine -- Baltimore's 2020 season might have ended before it started had he been injured. 

Jackson is a +600 second-favorite on the William Hill moneyline odds to repeat as MVP, behind only the 2018 winner Mahomes (+350). The Ravens and Chiefs are tied for the highest win total in the NFL at 11.5, but the Under is a -120 favorite for Baltimore and Over a -130 favorite for Kansas City. 

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