Another Super Bowl featuring the Patriots, another sensational scandal surrounding them.

Tom Brady on the accusations of the Patriots deflating balls: "(laughter) I think I have heard it all at this point. That's ridiculous."

— Dennis and Callahan (@DandCShow) January 19, 2015

While a deflated football might help explain how Brady completed two-thirds of his passes for 226 yards and a trio of touchdowns in a driving rain while Colts QB Andrew Luck finished 12-of-33 for half as many yards and a pair of picks, so too could the two-time NFL MVP's 15 years of experience in the Northeast.

There was an awkward moment to start the third quarter involving a ball being switched just prior to the Patriots' first play, although retired ref Mike Carey — serving as an analyst for CBS — suggested officials were customarily swapping one used for the kickoff with another designated for game action. On the ensuing three possessions, New England scored 21 points in 19 plays over the next 12:40.