Just five days from now, this year's Super Bowl kicks off with New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks going head-to-head for the NFL's greatest prize.
Yet the build up has been dominated by 'deflate-gate' - an accusation that balls used by the Patriots in their AFC Championship win over Indianapolis Colts had been under-inflated.
"It's been reported that 11 of the 12 balls the Patriots furnished for the game were under-inflated," said Channel 4's NFL analyst Mike Carlson on Off The Ball tonight, as he detailed how controversy unfolded.
"The Patriots being the Patriots, half the country is accusing them of cheating and that Bill Belichick is the evil sorcerer, while the other half is saying that it doesn't make any difference."
While deflate-gate is unlikely to have any effect on what happens during the Superbowl, Carlson does think it is too simplistic to say that the match is a case of Seattle's extraordinary defence against the Patriots' Tom Brady-inspired offence.
"Patriots probably aren't the best offence in the league and the Patriots defence is better now than it has been at any point since they won the Super Bowls (in 2001, 2003 and 2004)," he said, adding that New England will have to find a chink in Seattle's armour.
"What it is, is a contrast of styles in that Seattle are defensively an old-fashioned team that out-executes you. They beat you at your position man for man. There's not a lot of scheming going on. Their defence is pretty easy to follow, whereas the Patriots adjust everything to the teams they're playing."
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