If reading that headline made your eye twitch as a Patriots fan, that’s understandable. But it does appear there is another issue with underinflated footballs at Gillette Stadium.
On Wednesday evening, MassLive’s Mark Daniels reported that the kicking balls used by both teams in the first half of Sunday’s New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs matchup were underinflated by as much as two PSI (pounds per square inch). He added that the Patriots informed the referee crew at halftime, who ultimately tested and corrected the air pressure in the balls.
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According to Daniels, the Patriots “noticed that the trajectory and hang time of kickoffs and punts were lower than usual,” and that “the kicking balls were unusually soft to the touch.” This is not something that could have been identified pregame, as neither team has access to the league-provided (and therefore inflated) kicking balls during warm-ups.
There were some kicking oddities in the first half that were apparent even to those not on the field. Both kickers missed field goals, with Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missing his first field goal of the season. According to Daniels, the teams combined for 64.4 yards per kickoff in the first half and 66.6 yards per kickoff in the second half. The punting average also increased, from 45.3 yards in the first half, to 51.8 yards in the second half.
Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Chad Ryland (37) tries for a field goal during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Of course, this incident will have many football fans flashing back to the 2014 AFC Championship Game, when the Patriots were investigated for using underinflated football against the Indianapolis Colts. An early report about ’11 of 12′ game balls being underinflated later proved to be erroneous, yet despite never compiling sufficient evidence the league fined the Patriots and suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games after a drawn-out legal battle. Last year, Pro Football Talk reported that data collected by the league that would have absolved the Patriots was “expunged” by the league.
When the original Deflategate story broke in January of 2015, many were quick to point out the lack of air pressure in the footballs was likely due to the ideal gas law. With the balls being inflated in a warm room indoors, then brought outside into the cold the air pressure would naturally drop – like with car tires on a winter day.
Knowing that, it’s worth noting how similar the conditions were this past Sunday to that AFC Championship Game almost a decade ago. This past Sunday the temperature at kickoff was 53 degrees, with 74 percent humidity. The AFC Championship Game against the Colts? 51 degrees with 71 percent humidity.
Again, in this case the league was solely responsible for the footballs, which were underinflated for both teams. With that, it wouldn’t be surprising if this incident gets a little less attention from the NFL head office.
