The New England Patriots don’t begin playoff action for another week, but potential football deflation reportedly was on NFL officials’ minds Sunday afternoon.
Temperatures were historically cold in Minneapolis for the NFC Wild Card Game between the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, and ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reported before kickoff, citing “an NFL security official,” that the league was concerned about the conditions causing the pressure of the balls to drop below 12.5 PSI.
To combat this, referees reportedly will replace all footballs at halftime with backup balls that had not yet been subjected to the frigid climate.
Per Sal Paolantonio: Officials in MIN worried about footballs going under 12 PSI; will use backup footballs in 2nd half that've been inside
— Aaron Levine (@AaronLevine_) January 10, 2016
@espn @NFL tell me more about how this is the first year that weather will affect PSI of footballs @stoolpresidente pic.twitter.com/PQBKtiRuSQ
— House Ethier (@jayteethier) January 10, 2016
The report naturally caused a stir among Patriots supporters, as it basically served as an acknowledgment by the NFL that weather conditions can affect the PSI of footballs.
The thermometer read minus-6 at kickoff Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium, making Seahawks-Vikings the third-coldest game in NFL history.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports Images
