In what can only be described as a smart move — the NFL will test for deflated football during halftime of today’s Wild Card Sunday action.
The New England used the football’s PSI in cold weather as a defense in deflategate — so NFL officials will be testing the footballs in frigid Minnesota today according to Pro Football Talk.
The procedure entails testing all team’s footballs at halftime, taking them out of service, and finishing the game with the backup balls, which then will be tested after the game ends.
Given the conditions and the application of the Ideal Gas Law, the footballs likely will be well below the mandated minimum of 12.5 PSI. The NFL admitted within the context of the Tom Brady case that it was not aware of the reality that, when footballs are taken into the cold, the air pressure shrinks like a frightened turtle.
The league has been testing balls all year, and it will be interesting to see the result of their findings — and if they play in part in their appeal of the Brady ruling.