When a ball is under-inflated it's easier for the quarterback to grip and easier for a receiver to catch - especially in wet conditions. It rained during most of the match on Sunday.

So it's the same for both quarterbacks?

Yes,but it's an advantage if a quarterback and the receivers have been practising with under-inflated balls. Also deflated balls don't travel as far when passed,so a team using using short passes would have benefit over a team that was attempting long passes.

So who was passing?

According to the statistics from the game,76 per cent of the Patriots'attempted passes were less than 10 yards and 57 per cent of the Colts'passes were under 10 yards.

Riiiiight. What are the Patriots saying?

They're denying doing anything wrong,but are having trouble convincing the punters that something fishy did not happen.

Why?

Form. In 2007 the Patriots were found guilty of illegally videotaping another team's defensive team practising. Head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000. The team was also fined $250,000 and lost their first-round draft pick.

Would it have changed the result of the game?

Unlikely as the Patriots won 45-7. Colts player Dwayne Allen tweeted:"They could have played with soap for balls and beat us. Simply the better team."

What happens now?

The NFL are continuing their investigation.

If the Patriots are found guilty what will the penalty be?

An NFL official told theWashington Post,it was"too early"to consider any penalty. The investigation may not be completed before the Super Bowl.

Why does every scandal need to have a gate suffix?

'Cause it makes it sound more serious than it really is.