NFL’s Former VP of Officiating Explains Why Brandin Cooks Play Wasn’t a Catch

Saturday's Bills-Broncos playoff game was an absolute whirlwind, a true thriller of a postseason contest that ended with Denver eliminating Buffalo in overtime, 33-30. But one play above all others has lingered despite the craziness after the game in which Bo Nix was revealed to have a broken ankle and Josh Allen broke down crying at the podium: the OT battle for possession between Bills wideout Brandin Cooks and Broncos safety Ja'Quan McMillian that ended in a key Denver interception.

In case you missed it, on the Bills’ first possession of overtime Allen heaved a deep ball to Cooks. McMillian went up to contest the pass and both players ended up grappling for possession of the ball on the ground. Once they landed, McMillian popped up with the ball and the referees on the field ruled it was an interception. Despite replay showing it wasn’t a clear and obvious call, the officials didn’t spend much time reviewing the play and kept the ball in the Broncos’ hands; they’d go on to win the game and the Bills never saw the ball again.

As one might expect the controversial ruling did not sit well on the Buffalo side. Coach Sean McDermott railed against the decision in frustration after the game and got on the phone with a reporter to further rip the call after lead referee Carl Cheffers explained Cooks didn’t complete the process of a catch before McMillian gained possession of the ball, which meant it was an interception for Denver.

WOW!! Interception Josh Allen on this crazy play pic.twitter.com/J7UyosDna5
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 18, 2026

Discussion about the call leaked into Sunday, and the NFL’s former VP of officiating (as well as current rules analyst) Walt Anderson appeared on NFL GameDay to further explain the decision. He went in-depth on why, exactly, the play wasn’t ruled a catch for Cooks.

“As the receiver’s going to the ground, as soon as he hits the ground, the ball is immediately loose,” Anderson said. “That would be an incomplete pass if comes out and hits the ground. The reality here is, the ball never hits the ground. The loose ball ends up immediately being in control of the defensive player, who then rolls over with the ball and he maintains control of the ball... That’s why on the field it was ruled as an interception.

“In review, which, both the replay official at the stadium and New York spent the time looking at it. What was the call on the field? The ball was loose when he first hit the ground. They confirmed that’s what happened. The ball never hit the ground. That’s why they were able to confirm the call of an interception.”

Anderson was then pressed about the frame-by-frame slow-motion replay of the catch that showed Cooks hitting the ground before McMillian wrestled away the ball.

“He’s in the process of going to the ground,” Anderson said. “He has to survive the ground. He must maintain control when he hits the ground here. The ball is immediately loose when he hits the ground. By rule, it’s not a catch. The fact that the ball didn’t hit the ground, it stays live. It can end up either being caught by a receiver, he can reach up and grab it, or in this case it was the defender who got control of the ball.”

Catch or INT? Walt Anderson dives into the officials' decisions last night 👇 pic.twitter.com/7DhIHe9EPT
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 18, 2026

As is always the case, it’s a bit of a bummer that one of the most exciting games of the year is marred by an officiating controversy of some type. It was a great back-and-forth contest but the primary talking point a day later is the Cooks call.

Regardless, the Broncos will take the win and are preparing in earnest for Jarrett Stidham to start in place of Nix next week. The Bills have no choice but to head back to Buffalo and reflect on the opportunity the team let pass by this season.

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