Both Harrison Butker and Chad Ryland missed kicks during the first half of the Chiefs-Patriots game at Gillette Stadium in Week 15. We now appear to know why the kickers were struggling.
It wasn't because of any prevailing wind. It was because the kicking balls (K-balls) were not properly inflated for the game, per Mark Daniels of MassLive.com.
Daniels detailed that "multiple sources" told him that the K-balls were under-inflated by more than two pounds per square inch (PSI) for the first half of the game.
“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.”
The situation impacted both teams equally, so neither side gained a competitive advantage because of the mistake.
MORE: A timeline of the Patriots' scandals under Bill Belichick
It also doesn't appear that either team was involved in purposely altering the balls. Instead, it appears that the officials were responsible for the gaffe.
Deflategate 2, explained
As Daniels outlined, the standard procedure involving the K-balls is for the officials to unbox six new balls for exclusive use in the kicking game 2 hours and 45 minutes before the contest begins. From there, they are meant to weigh the balls before the opening kickoff.
That didn't happen on Sunday.
“I don’t know at what point it was missed,” one source told Daniels. “I don’t think they were leaking. It was a situation and it got mitigated in the second half."
The differences between the balls before and after the half were noticeable. Butker missed his first field goal of the 2023 NFL season, in part, because the ball was a bit under-inflated. He and Ryland were both frustrated by their misses but kicked better after the intermission.
MORE: Powering ranking the NFL's MVP candidates, including Brock Purdy, Lamar Jackson
The punters were also kicking better after the break, and all parties involved increased their kickoff and punting distances because of the issue.
| Situation | Kickoffs | Kickoff distance | Punts | Punt distance |
| First half | 5 | 64.4 | 3 | 45.3 |
| Second half | 5 | 66.6 | 6 | 51.8 |
Granted, the sample sizes are small, but two yards per kickoff and 6.5 yards per punt are enough to demonstrate that properly inflating the K-balls made a big difference.
While both sides have the right to be peeved about this mistake — and Butker certainly has a gripe, as it wiped out his perfect season — it doesn't appear that either team is to blame for the state of the K-balls. The officials simply appear to have missed a critical step in their pregame process, and that proved costly to each side.
So, what will come of this so-called Deflategate 2? Expect the NFL to conduct a review of what led to the mistake by Shawn Hochuli's crew to find out. It will be interesting to see if that crew is punished or downgraded, but they remain on the schedule in Week 16 and are set to officiate the marquee matchup of the Sunday slate between the Cowboys and Dolphins.
The Patriots' Deflategate punishment entailed a four-game suspension of Tom Brady, a $1 million fine and the loss of two draft picks.
MORE: Chargers go viral for hilarious 'don't be a d—' Cameron Dicker Pro Bowl video
But at present, it doesn't look like either the Chiefs or Patriots tampered with the balls in any way, shape or form.
So, unless new evidence arises in this case, New England fans can breathe a sigh of relief that they will not have to go through another circus akin to the first Deflategate.
