Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – footballs used during New England’s most recent game reportedly did not meet the air pressure thresholds required by the NFL. According to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, the kicking footballs used by both teams were woefully underinflated in what the author is dubbing Deflategate Part 2. According to Daniels’ report, the balls used in the first half were only inflated to 11 pounds, rather than the required 13.5. It’s worth noting that this issue affected both teams, so neither side gained a competitive advantage.
Game Ball Air Pressure Issues Emerge In Deflategate Part 2
According to Daniels, the air pressure issues stem from an error with the officiating staff. The article states that neither team is allowed to work with the actual game balls before the start of the game, and because of this, neither team was able to inform the officials that the balls were not up to standards. Quality control is supposed to be performed by the officials, but apparently, they forgot to do that. It certainly didn’t help matters that this game was played in a New England winter, and anyone who has ever taken a middle school science class can tell you that air pressure drops with temperature.
Much like with the first Deflategate, the officials replaced the balls in question for the second half. During halftime, the referees re-inflated the footballs to their required 13.5 PSI.
The first Deflategate was objectively overblown, and it’s unlikely that Part 2 will become anything more than a footnote in NFL history. However, even though this ultimately isn’t a big deal, it’s clear that the lack of air pressure had an impact on the kicking game. Both kickers missed easy field goals in the first half, and the normally strong-legged Harrison Butker’s opening kickoff didn’t even reach the endzone.
Main Photo: David Butler II – USA Today Sports
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