Through 60 minutes of regulation in Saturday’s Bills-Broncos game, not a single flag was thrown for pass interference. On Denver’s final drive of overtime, there were two.
Both were called against the Bills.
The first was called against Bills cornerback Taron Johnson on Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton for a 17-yard gain, from Denver’s 47 to the Buffalo 36. The second happened two plays later, moving the ball from the Buffalo 38 to the Bills eight after the officials called cornerback Tre’Davious White for interference against Broncos receiver Marvin Mims Jr.
And that was that.
Here’s what referee Carl Cheffers told pool reporter Jeff Legwold after the game: “The first one was an arm grab. The defender held the receiver’s right arm down, which prevented him from going up for the pass with two hands. He was attempting a one-arm grab of the ball. And so, that restriction of his right arm was why pass interference was called. . . The second was early contact and an arm grab that materially restricted the receiver.”
That’s fine. But late in the fourth quarter, Broncos cornerback Riley Moss did the same thing — or worse — to Bills receiver Brandin Cooks. There was no call.
The issue is consistency. For a game to be called a certain way for four quarters and then for it to change in overtime isn’t what the NFL should want. If the plays in overtime were interference, the play late in regulation should have been interference.
And if that had happened, the Bills may have won the game in regulation.
As it stands, on the three most important interference calls and non-calls of the game, the Broncos had all three of them go their way. The Bills had none. And the Broncos are moving out.
