Musky, Doc, BB, Curt, Gram....somebody lol

In my previous thread on the backfire and flames on my bike I forgot to mention something. Can an intake leak cause backfire with flames? I put two and two together. I been getting a little intake backfiring for 10 months now. This was about the time I messed with the air filter. I took it out and cleaned it. I remembered what I did now though. I couldnt get the thing apart. I took the screw out of the center and it wouldnt come apart. Then I realized that it had a couple of long green screws in the back. When I put it back together I realized those screws were still laying there. I think about 3? Anyways I figured well, next time it will be easier to get to the filter if I leave these out and the outer screw will hold the cover and filter on. Could those 3 screws be causing an air leak on the intake. I am going to investigate this further. I have the screws in my tool pouch. I guess I should put them back in and see what happens. Just thought I would get some opinions.