Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott gave a passionate defense of his team, expressing frustration with how officials handled one of the key plays in Saturday\u2019s 33-30 overtime divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n
On a third-and-11 pass play in overtime from Buffalo\u2019s 36-yard line, quarterback Josh Allen threw a deep pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who went up and appeared to catch the ball<\/a> through Broncos defensive back Ja\u2019Quan McMillian\u2019s left hand. However, as Cooks started to go to the ground, McMillian brought his right hand in toward the ball. As Cooks and McMillian hit the ground, the fourth-year cornerback emerged with the ball corralled in his right hand, and the play was ruled an interception.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to \u2014 and I\u2019ve had a chance to look at it \u2014 it\u2019s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,\u201d McDermott said after the game. \u201cIf it is ruled that way, then why wasn\u2019t it slowed down, just to make sure that we have this right. That would have made a lot of sense to me. To make sure that we have this thing right, because that\u2019s a pivotal play in the game. We have the ball at the (20-yard line) and maybe kicking a game-winning field goal right there. I\u2019ll just leave it at that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m saying it because I\u2019m standing up for Buffalo, dammit. I\u2019m standing up for us. What went on \u2014 that is not how it should go down, in my estimation. These guys spent three hours out there, playing football, pouring their guts out. To not even say, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s just slow this thing down.\u2019 That\u2019s why I\u2019m bothered.\u201d<\/p>\n McDermott said that because it was overtime and coach\u2019s challenges are not in play, he used Buffalo\u2019s first timeout \u201cbecause it seemed like the process was not slowing down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I called the timeout, I asked (referee) Brad Allen on our sideline, who is assisting us on our sideline, I said, \u2018Hey, can you get (referee) Carl (Cheffers) over here?\u2019\u201d McDermott said. \u201cCarl came over, and those guys are great. They were great. I said, \u2018Hey, what did you see?\u2019 And then quickly somebody said, \u2018New York has confirmed.\u2019 From that point, it was a moot point. We were moving on. Had I not called timeout, they were just moving on, it appeared. Now, the process that was going on before I called timeout, I can\u2019t tell you what that was, in all fairness.\u201d<\/p>\n McDermott was asked if, in his eyes, it was a catch by Cooks and down by contact.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my eyes, it was, yes,\u201d McDermott said. \u201cBut even if it wasn\u2019t \u2014 I\u2019m being objective here \u2014 even if it wasn\u2019t, the players are owed, to me, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s stop it, let\u2019s slow it down, let\u2019s put the head referee and give him a chance to look at the monitor,\u2019 just to make sure.\u201d<\/p>\n After the game, Cheffers spoke to a pool reporter and explained the process.<\/p>\n \u201cThe receiver has to complete the process of a catch,\u201d Cheffers said. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n McDermott didn\u2019t quickly cool down. In follow-up comments to a pool reporter, McDermott continued his stance that he believed the play should\u2019ve been ruled a catch for Cooks.<\/p>\n \u201cThat play is not even close,\u201d McDermott said. \u201cThat\u2019s a catch all the way. I sat in my locker and I looked at it probably 20 times, and nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo. I just have no idea how the NFL handled it, in particular, the way that they did. I think the players and the fans deserve an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe win with class and we lose with class in Buffalo,\u201d McDermott added. \u201cThat\u2019s how we handle our business, but when I\u2019m looking at the replay myself and I\u2019m being objective and I\u2019m saying, \u2018you can not convince me that that was not a catch, Buffalo possession, ball at the 20. You can\u2019t convince me.\u2019\u00a0 \u2026 We\u2019re not just going to sit here and take it. I\u2019m pissed off about it.\u201d<\/p>\n On the CBS broadcast, rules analyst Gene Steratore agreed with the call.<\/p>\n “I’m not sure that Cooks has possession coming to the ground.” \u2013 @GeneSteratore<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AX42TqhAYP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NFL on CBS \ud83c\udfc8 (@NFLonCBS) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is really close,\u201d Steratore said on the broadcast. \u201cI\u2019m not sure Cooks has possession coming to the ground to say that it would be simultaneous. It feels to me like Cooks doesn\u2019t have firm possession of the football when they\u2019re down by contact \u2026 you would go interception here, because the ball doesn\u2019t hit the ground. If (Cooks) doesn\u2019t have firm possession but the defensive back does whenever he rolls, the defensive back is down by contact.\u201d<\/p>\n The concept of simultaneous possession that Steratore mentions is an important factor. In the NFL Rulebook, under Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, which lays out the rulings for a completed or intercepted pass, one of the notes states: \u201cIf a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control.\u201d<\/p>\n If Cooks had been deemed to have possession of the ball, even if McMillian then got the ball as the two players went to the ground and emerged with it, the ruling would have been a completed pass, with Cooks being ruled down by contact. However, as Steratore said, it was deemed that Cooks did not have possession of the ball before McMillian took it from him.<\/p>\n Had the Cooks catch stood, the Bills \u2014 who forced a Broncos punt to start the overtime period \u2014 would have been in position to win with a field goal.<\/p>\n Instead, after the interception, the Broncos took control of the ball at their own 20-yard line. A couple of plays later, the Broncos were near midfield at their own 47-yard line. On second-and-10, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury<\/a> late in overtime, threw a pass down the left sideline to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. The pass fell incomplete, but cornerback Taron Johnson was called for defensive pass interference. That gave the Broncos the ball at the Buffalo 36-yard line.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defender held the receiver\u2019s right arm down, which prevented him from going up for the pass with two hands,\u201d Cheffers said in a pool report. \u201cHe was attempting a one-arm grab of the ball. And so, that restriction of his right arm was why pass interference was called.\u201d<\/p>\n On the same play that Johnson was called for defensive pass interference, which advanced the ball 17 yards for the Broncos, Bills defensive end Joey Bosa was also called for roughing the passer. Because the pass interference was called, Bosa\u2019s penalty was declined. Had the former penalty not been called, the latter would have been accepted by the Broncos and the ball would have moved up to the Buffalo 38-yard line.<\/p>\n Two plays after Johnson\u2019s penalty, Nix threw deep again, this time inside the 10-yard line to Marvin Mims Jr. Bills cornerback Tre\u2019Davious White was in coverage, a few steps behind Mims. Replays showed that White, who didn\u2019t turn around to play the ball, slapped Mims\u2019 left arm down with his left hand before wrapping up the Broncos wide receiver.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like it was (the right call),\u201d Steratore said on the broadcast. \u201cI felt like he chopped down on that left arm when he wasn\u2019t playing the football. I felt like it was a good call.\u201d<\/p>\n Obviously a lot of talk about the overtime of Bills vs Broncos. Here are my thoughts on all of the big rulings down the stretch:<\/p>\n No Flag for PI on Denver Interception\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Cheffers agreed that it was the correct call.<\/p>\n \u201c(It) was early contact and an arm grab that that materially restricted the receiver,\u201d Cheffers said.<\/p>\n The penalty set up the Broncos at the 8-yard line. After Nix took a knee to set up kicker Wil Lutz, White was penalized for confronting an official<\/a> over his penalty and taking his helmet off and slamming it on the ground. White\u2019s unsportsmanlike foul was inconsequential, giving the Broncos an extra 6 yards before Lutz came on the field and kicked the game-winner.<\/p>\n
I support the decision to not flag Denver on the fade route. Is there contact? Sure, but it\u2019s a play on to me.<\/p>\n