If Pearl Harbor failed, the US battle fleet still faces a trap

How might the Pacific War change if the Pearl Harbor attack failed badly?

The United States could be pushed into an early fleet advance, but Japan's lack of surviving carrier power would undermine the trap.

The counterfactual does not automatically improve the American strategic position. An intact battle fleet would face political and operational pressure to advance toward the Philippines. That movement could create the decisive-battle opportunity sought by Japanese prewar planning. Yet a failed raid also removes or damages the Japanese carrier force needed to make the trap work, leaving both sides with a sharply altered opening campaign.