One of the key moments of “Deflategate” came when Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the second quarter of Sunday’s AFC title game in Foxborough. Per multiple reports, the ball was deemed to feel a little light, and from there, the NFL got involved.
However, a published report Wednesday says the Colts’ suspicions about the inflation of New England’s footballs date back at least to the regular season matchup with New England on November 16.
And again, an interception — two of them, actually — was the catalyst.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Colts notified the NFL about potential under-inflation after safety Mike Adams picked off Brady twice in New England’s 42-20 victory.
In both cases, ESPN reported, Adams took the ball to the sideline as a memento, then gave it to the team’s equipment staff.
It was then, ESPN said, that the inflation of the footballs came into question.
As with the playoff matchup between the clubs, the Patriots were the far superior team in the November meeting. Moreover, the only three turnovers forced by the Colts in these two games came on the interceptions of footballs that purportedly did not feel right.
Nevertheless, we now have another data point regarding the Colts’ curiosity about the Patriots’ footballs.