After stomping the Colts 45-7 in last Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, allegations came out from Indianapolis that some of the game balls used by the Patriots offense were under inflated.

Suspicions first arose when linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a Tom Brady pass late in the first half. After coming to the sideline, he handed the ball to an assistant coach who noticed the ball was under inflated. The coach then notified head coach Chuck Pagano, who ran the news up the rest of the chain of command.

After two days of investigation, the league found that 11 of the 12 balls used by the Patriots offense were under inflated.

While this is unlikely to change the lopsided outcome of the game, under inflated balls make gripping, throwing and catching the ball easier. Possible penalties for the Patriots range from fines and removal of members of the training staff to potential lost draft picks.

Sources:

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/new-england-patriots-indianapolis-d-qwell-jackson-interception-deflated-ball-012015

http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/12202450/nfl-says-new-england-patriots-had-inflated-footballs-afc-championship-game