Deflategate 2.0: Footballs Underinflated In Patriots-Chiefs Game?

Footballs in last Sunday's New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game might have been underinflated, leading to both teams missing field goals.

Footballs not being properly inflated in a game involving the New England Patriots? Stop us if you've heard this one before.

In last Sunday's game between the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, footballs used by both teams' kicking units were underinflated by over two pounds, according to a report by MassLive. With the gloomy Foxboro weather, both teams missed field goals in the first half. New England's Chad Ryland has been shaky in his rookie season, but this marked the first missed field goal by Kansas City's Harrison Butler all year.

The officials reportedly inflated the balls to their proper level at halftime, but the damage had been done.

Chad Ryland :: Barry Chin/Boston Globe Staff

“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 under inflated or they felt that way. At halftime, they confirmed and obviously put air in them.”

Reportedly, the Patriots suspected something was off when Butker, who has forced a touchback on 87.1 percent of his kickoffs this season, only reached the 3-yard line on his opening kick. More kicks went in strange directions as the half went on, leading to New England finally bringing it up to the officials.

The NFL rulebook states that each team gets 12 primary balls and 12 backup balls that become available for testing two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, with each ranging within the legal limit of 12.5 to 13.5 PSI. However, six balls used exclusively for kicks are stored separately in the officials' locker room, as they are supposed to weigh those balls independently. This resulted in neither team being aware of the problem until the opening kick.

“I don’t know at what point it was missed,” a source told MassLive. “I don’t think they were leaking. It was a situation and it got mitigated in the second half.”

This isn't, of course, the first time the Patriots have had to deal with football inflation issues. After the 2014 AFC Championship Game, the Indianapolis Colts accused New England of using underinflated footballs to gain an unfair advantage. This led to a lengthy, exhausting investigation that resulted in Tom Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, as well as the Patriots being fined $1 million and forfeiting two draft picks.

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Of course, the Patriots wound up getting the last laugh as they won Super Bowl 51 that same season, with Brady winning game MVP for the fourth time.

New England fans need not worry this time, as this issue was more due to the officials than either team. However, it is ironic that another similar issue happened to the same team almost a decade later.

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