Brandin Cooks Sounds Off on Controversial Interception Call in Bills’ NFL Playoff Loss to Broncos
Brandin Cooks feels officials robbed him of a catch in overtime of the Buffalo Bills’ divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos last Saturday.
Josh Allen’s final throw of the game was deemed an interception after officials ruled Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian had wrestled the ball away from Cooks.
“At the end of the day, it was a catch,” Cook said Thursday on Good Morning Football. “Not just what it looked like, like you said, but what it felt like. You see examples throughout the league, all year, and in previous years, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute. If that was a catch, then there’s no-brainer that this was a catch.’
“When you look back at it, the time that was spent on it to review it wasn’t enough, given the magnitude of that game and the situation. It’s a little disappointing.”
Former head coach Sean McDermott also criticized how much time officials took to review the call when speaking postgame with the Buffalo News‘ Jay Skurski (h/t NBC Sports’ Mike Florio).
“It’s a shame that a game is decided on a call like that, and there is no time spent with the head official going underneath the hood or to the replay booth… I don’t agree with that,” McDermott told Skurski.
Referee Carl Cheffers told ESPN’s Jeff Legwold in the postgame pool report that the interception ruling was made because “the receiver has to complete the process of a catch.”
“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,” Cheffers said. “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.”
Cooks said on Good Morning Football that his hands were still on the ball when he hit the ground.
“Knee hit, shoulder hit, back hit, whatever the case may be. My hands never left that ball, right,” Cooks said. “The other thing is, tie goes to the offense. But I really feel, in my heart of hearts, that I caught that ball.”
The interception ruling gave the Broncos the opportunity to get into range for Wil Lutz’s 23-yard game-winning field goal. While the Broncos prepare to take on the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, the Bills are now searching for McDermott’s replacement following the head coach’s post-elimination dismissal.
