During Sunday evening’s overtime thriller between the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills, the officials made an extremely unpopular call that ultimately changed the entire course of the game. However, the officials are now doubling down on the call.
Late in the overtime period, Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw what appeared to be a long reception to receiver Brandin Cooks. However, Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian took the ball out of his hands after Cooks landed on the ground.
The play was ruled an interception, which came as a shock to fans, who overwhelmingly thought it should have been ruled a catch by Cooks.
After the game, referee Carl Cheffers defended the call, claiming that the receiver did not complete the process of the catch when he went to the ground.
“The receiver has to complete the process of a catch,” Cheffers explained via Pro Football Talk.
“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. 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.”
Cheffers went on to explain that the decision was confirmed by the replay process, though that review appears to have been completed by the NFL’s expedited review process.
It’s safe to say that this explanation will not satisfy angry fans.
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