Kicking balls weren’t inflated properly for Chiefs’ win over Patriots in apparent ‘Deflategate’ flashback [Video]
“Deflategate” is back.
Certain footballs during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-17 win over the New England Patriots last weekend were underinflated by two pounds, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels.
After complaints were made, officials took balls meant for each team’s kicking units into the locker room at Gillette Stadium at halftime Sunday. There, officials reportedly discovered the balls weighed 11 pounds per square inch. NFL rules state that balls must be inflated between 12.5 PSI and 13.5 PSI.
“They were all sitting around at 11 PSI. The threshold is usually 13.5,” a source told MassLive. “[The Patriots] told the refs they were a little underinflated or they felt that way. At halftime, they confirmed and obviously put air in them.”
It’s unclear specifically if the underinflated balls had a direct impact on the game, but both Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and Patriots kicker Chad Ryland missed field goals in the first half. Butker’s opening kickoff landed at the 3-yard line, too, despite better than 87% of his kickoffs this season reaching the end zone.
Butker ended up making two of his three field goals in the game, including a 54-yarder, and all three of his extra point attempts. Ryland went 1-of-2, with a long of 25 yards, and made both of his extra point attempts.
Each team is given 12 primary balls and 12 backup balls for each game, which are to be made available for testing several hours before kickoff. Officials open six new balls used exclusively for kicking before each game, too. Officials are supposed to weigh those balls before the game starts. It’s unclear if the balls in question were weighed before the game.
“I don’t know at what point it was missed,” one source said. “I don’t think they were leaking. It was a situation and it got mitigated in the second half.”
Though the situation seems minor, and it appeared to equally impact both teams in the game, it is similar to an incident that occurred at Gillette Stadium nearly a decade ago — which sparked a massive investigation and led to the “Deflategate” scandal. Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games, and the Patriots were both fined $1 million and lost two draft picks after officials discovered underinflated footballs during the Patriots’ win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game in 2015. The Patriots then won Super Bowl XLIX two weeks later. The NFL never actually proved those balls were deflated in that scandal.
The Patriots fell to 3-11 in the loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. The Chiefs snapped a two-game losing skid with their 10-point win in Massachusetts and improved to 9-5 on the season. They hold the lead in the AFC West, and will attempt to clinch a postseason spot this weekend for the ninth straight year.
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