One day after the Buffalo Bills’ season ended in overtime, a key play continues to ripple through the NFL
Analysts are split over whether Brandin Cooks completed the overtime catch that was ruled an interception in the Bills’ 33-30 divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
On third-and-11 from the Bills’ own 36-yard line in overtime, quarterback Josh Allen lofted a deep pass down the right sideline to Cooks. The receiver appeared to come down with the ball, with his knee nearing the turf, before Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian reached in as the two fell to the ground and wrestled possession away.
Officials ruled that Cooks did not complete the process of the catch and awarded the ball to Denver. Because challenges are not permitted in overtime, McDermott could only call timeout while the play was reviewed by league replay officials in New York. The on-field officials did not initiate a stoppage to review the play themselves.
Long after the final whistle Saturday night, Bills coach Sean McDermott said he watched the play back roughly 20 times. Each viewing led him to the same conclusion: Cooks caught the ball.
“That play is not even close. That’s a catch all the way,” McDermott said. “Nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo.”
In a pool report interview, referee Carl Cheffers explained why replay officials upheld the ruling.
“The receiver has to complete the process of a catch,” Cheffers said. “He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore expanded on his thoughts on the call but said that more time should’ve been taken to review it.
“The interception is a wild play, with a lot going on,” Steratore posted on X. “Seeing it full speed, I thought it was an interception and would’ve ruled it that way if I was on the field. My perspective on it is that Cooks lost the ball as soon as his body hit the ground. In my opinion, if there was no defender near him and he lost the ball when he hit the ground, the ruling would’ve been incomplete.”
McDermott’s frustration extended beyond the ruling itself, centring on the replay process.
“I don’t understand why the head official who is at the game does not get a chance to look at the same thing people in New York are ruling on,” he said. “Too big of a play to not even slow it down.”
Cooks said he believed he completed the catch but added he should have done more to remove doubt. Several Bills players voiced their disagreement on social media following the game.
“Of course I’m always going to think I caught it,” an emotional Cooks told reporters. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter ultimately. You work so hard, and I look back, and I wonder what I could’ve done to alleviate some of that pressure from (Allen).”
NFL rules analyst Walt Anderson echoed that interpretation during NFL GameDay, emphasizing that the ball never contacted the turf.
“As the receiver’s going to the ground, as soon as he hits the ground, the ball is immediately loose,” Anderson explained. “That would be an incomplete pass if it comes out and hits the ground. Here, the ball never hits the ground.
“The replay officials in New York and in the stadium were looking at the play, they looked at all the angles… They’re confirming the call on the field was the ball was immediately loose when it hit the ground, and control was gained by the defender.”
Meanwhile, former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said he believed that Cooks had possession as his knee went to the ground before McMillian grabbed the ball from him.
Former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman was also among those who publicly sided with Buffalo.
“I have never seen a contested catch like this ever be called anything but a catch,” Sherman said. “Even as a DB you know that if it’s even a tie it will go to the WR. Can’t believe this decided the game.”
Former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz immediately thought the play was an interception, but said that after watching it over should’ve been more time taken by the officials to review it closely.
Of course, those were not the only ref-centred plays that ended up being crucial to the result of the game, as the Bills were flagged for a pair of defensive pass interference calls that set up the Broncos for the game-winning field goal on the ensuing possession.
Denver will now prepare to host the AFC Championship game at home against either the New England Patriots or Houston Texans.
But it will not be an easy road to the Super Bowl as the Broncos will be without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a season-ending ankle fracture near the end of the game.
