10 NFL 2015 Match-Ups With Personal Matters On The Line

When: Monday October 19, 2015 (1:30am GMT)

Normally, the Ravens vs. Steelers would top any list of must-see games, but considering the media whirlwind that has carried the deflategate drama throughout the off-season, it would be hard not to see this match-up being total box office when it rolls around.

But, what the heck is deflategate?

It took place on January 18, 2015. The New England Patriots took to their home field to take on Andrew Luck and his Indianapolis Colts in an eagerly anticipated AFC Championship game with a ticket to Super Bowl 49 on offer. It was a miserable and rainy night at Gillette Stadium which meant ball handling would be particularly difficult for all the players. In the end, the Patriots ran out comfortable winners, demolishing the Colts 45-7 and sending them home with their tails between their legs. However, unbeknown to anyone, the story had only just begun.

The Patriots were accused of tampering with the air pressures of the footballs used in the game, which would in theory, increase the chances of better handling in wet conditions. Here's the sticky bit: each team have their own set of footballs, so the Colts wouldn't have gained the same advantage. Instead, they played the entire game with fully inflated footballs, which has sent this story into a media frenzy that's still rumbling to this day, and seen Tom Brady receive a four-game ban for his alleged role in it all.

There are other intricate aspects of the story that make this whole situation murky, such as, the Patriots actually went on to win the Super Bowl and Brady destroyed his mobile phone when asked to give evidence proving he knew nothing about their deflation. As you can imagine, the Colts will be fired up when these two meet in October. It's safe to assume the whole of America will be rooting for the Colts come game day when the entire media world will be scrutinising everything the Patriots do.