LAS VEGAS – After securing a first-round bye in the 2022 PBR Team Series Championship by logging a 16-12 regular-season record and 48 bonus points (five more than the No. 3 Oklahoma Freedom secured in 10 Bonus Round outings), things seemed to be trending in the Texas Rattlers’ direction.

Especially when you consider the team had captured the last three regular-season event titles (Ridge Rider Days, Rattler Days, Thunder Days) en route to bringing a league-best 10-game winning streak into the Team Series Championship.

Enjoying the night off alongside the Austin Gamblers inside T-Mobile Arena, the Rattlers took in the first round of competition while cheering on friends and spending time with family.

A night to spare their bodies, refocus on the task at hand and soak in all the fun that the entertainment capital of the world has to offer. They grinded all season for the opportunity to rest Friday evening, so what could go wrong?

Well, the second perfect game in Team Series history would be somewhere to start. The Arizona Ridge Riders posted a dominant 425.25-178.75-point victory over the Rattlers Saturday night. While no team can control how their opponents perform, the Rattlers had the same chance to take care of business but only recorded two rides (Brady Oleson’s 90.75 points on Kid Knapper, Cody Jesus’s 88 points on Mike’s Effect) in falling to Arizona.

Able to qualify for Championship Sunday by defeating the No. 1 Gamblers and No. 4 Carolina Cowboys in Saturday’s Last Chance Game, a pair of clutch qualified rides from Daniel Keeping and Braidy Randolph helped the Rattlers record the 179-90-89.25 final.

Texas’s Championship dreams were shattered early Sunday afternoon, though, as the No. 8 Nashville Stampede played spoiler, beating the Rattlers 178.5-90.25 en route to securing the first-ever PBR Team Series Championship. With the team’s first-round draft pick Cody Jesus recording his side’s lone ride (90.25 points on Homebru), it was back to the drawing board for Texas.

Getting up for its third-place showdown with the Oklahoma Freedom, Texas ended the season in the win column by logging a 270-86.75-point victory courtesy of rides from Keeping, Ednei Caminhas and Rafael Jose de Brito.

Oklahoma received its points courtesy of Eli Vastbinder riding Happy Gambler.

“(Brito)’s been stepping up over and over here again lately,” Rattlers Head Coach Cody Lambert said. “He went through a stage where his confidence level was pretty low, but he’s got it back and under control now, and I expect him to continue doing really well.”

So, what went wrong?

Some would point to the two-week gap without any Team Series events leading into the Championship weekend. Others would claim losing veteran Joao Ricardo Vieira to injury on Saturday may have impacted the team’s performance. This weekend’s judges would say they didn’t ride as many bulls as their opponents, which is the bottom line.

But with every win, loss, ride or buckoff, there’s always a lesson to be learned, aspects to build on. That’s exactly what Lambert preached following his team’s third-place finish Sunday afternoon.

“Our team has a common goal, and it took a while for everyone to realize that. Bull riding is an individual sport. It always has been, because it’s tough out there on your own,” Lambert said. “For this Teams concept, you had to find guys who fit it and like it, and we’ve got them, so I’m really excited for next year.”

Each rider in the Texas locker room has some things to work on during the Teams offseason. But with the chance to continue to develop young, promising talent in guys like Keeping, Jesus, Randolph and company, Lambert believes his squad has plenty of potential and room for growth.

“Everybody on this team has been important to us, and those guys were a big part of it,” Lambert said. “They realized how good they can ride at the highest pro level now, so we expect a lot out of them in the future.”

Lambert plans to get the guys together throughout the offseason, potentially weekly, to stay in touch and continue working toward their goal. While the third-place finish isn’t what the squad ultimately envisioned, there were plenty of positives to take away.

“Kind of a frustrating finish but we still ended on a good note,” Keeping said. “We still got another win, but sometimes it’s God’s plan. You just have to play it out. I think next year we’ll be a little more mature, and you’ll see a lot more than we did this year.”

Up next for the budding superstar?

“Lot of UTBs now, hopefully make a run for the title and work on some stuff,” Keeping said. “Get a little more tuned in, a little more consistent.”

Or anything else that Lambert dials up for the youngster, obviously.

“Cody – I think he’s pretty proud,” Keeping said. “It wasn’t lack of effort that we didn’t put out there. We tried every single one. He’s been there, done that, knows the rules, so I think he’s excited about next season.”

As to what worked for one of the league’s hottest free agents this season?

“Just keeping my head down, doing my job and remember to pray every day,” Keeping said. “That’s about it.”

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media