Buffalo Rumblings
Brandin Cooks caught the ball. Everyone knows it. Show that play to a six-year-old and they know it. NFL referees disagree, and the Buffalo Bills lost the game against the Denver Broncos in part because they called an interception on a Buffalo Bills catch.
On 3rd and 11 in overtime at their own 36, the Buffalo Bills called a shot play. Josh Allen cocked back and unloaded, sending the ball to Cooks deep in Denver territory. Cooks caught the pass, hit the ground, and was touched down. CBS announcer Jim Nantz said he caught it (because he did). It should be Bills ball at the Denver 20 where the next score wins. A sub-40-yard field goal and the Bills move on.
But Broncos defender Ja’Quan McMillian emerged from the tackle with the ball.
Refs ruled it an interception and the Broncos moved to the line. Bills head coach Sean McDermott called timeout in a desperate attempt to get it overturned. (In overtime, all reviews are called from upstairs.) In a heated postgame presser, Sean McDermott called out the process and expressed his dissatisfaction.
“I don’t have the power to challenge. We are in overtime,” said McDermott. “It was a rather rapid unfolding of the reviewing if there was a review. It would seem logical to me that the head official would walk over and take a look at it just to make sure. That’s too big of a play in a play that decided the game to not even slow it down. It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled. I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo damn it. These guys spent three hours out there playing football, pouring their guts out. To not even say ‘hey let’s slow this thing down’ – that’s why I’m bothered.”
Broncos ball anyway.
After the game, referee Carl Cheffers had this to say:
“The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of hte catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. Ther defender gained possesion of it at that point. The defense is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”
It doesn’t make any sense, and plenty of folks around the NFL agree.
I don’t have an answer for you, just al ot of videos and images showing that there is no way the Bills should have been screwed on this play.
CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore called it an interception on the broadcast. He also posted to social media, further explaining his case.
But that doesn’t line up with what happened against the Bills last year against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bills fans are going to remember this play for a long time. A chip shot field goal to win the gam would have...
