Kevin SeifertJan 17, 2026, 09:50 PM ETCloseKevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Follow on X
Sean McDermott fumes over late interception call (0:57)An emotional Sean McDermott voices his frustration over the late interception ruling in the Bills’ loss to the Broncos. (0:57)
When all eyes are on a single NFL playoff game, officiating decisions attract outsized attention. Throw in the stress of overtime, and you’ve got the fierce debate that erupted at the end of the Denver Broncos’ 33-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Saturday’s divisional round.
The situation: The Bills had the ball at their 36-yard line, facing third down with 11 yards to go. Quarterback Josh Allen threw a deep ball over the right hashmark to receiver Brandin Cooks. Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian was in coverage. Cooks made a leaping catch, but the ball moved from his hands to McMillian’s almost immediately after Cooks landed on the ground.
Analysis: Essentially, Cheffers’ crew was saying that Cooks did not have possession of the ball before it moved into McMillian’s hands. And because the ball didn’t hit the ground, it was still live at that point.
According to the NFL rulebook, Cooks needed to do three things to demonstrate possession and be awarded a catch. First, he needed to have complete control of the ball with his hands or arms, which he did. Then, he needed to be in bounds, which, of course, he was. Third, he needed to perform another act common to the game or maintain control of the ball long enough to do so.
The quote: “It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
The situation: The Broncos had the ball at their 47-yard line, facing second-and-10. Quarterback Bo Nix floated a 17-yard pass toward receiver Courtland Sutton at the sideline, with White in coverage. The ball fell incomplete
Analysis: The NFL rulebook defines pass interference as “any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage that significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball.” It also lists some specific acts that qualify, including one that, in theory, could be applied to White on this play.
Players are prohibited from “grabbing an opponent’s arm(s) in such a manner that restricts his opportunity to catch a pass.” When watching the replay in slow motion, it appears White briefly grabbed Sutton’s right arm, as Cheffers noted afterward in a pool report.
Despite the instances listed in the rulebook, pass interference often comes down to a judgment call. When is the restriction truly significant?
The situation: The Broncos had the ball at the Bills’ 38-yard line, facing second-and-12. Nix floated a pass downfield to receiver Marvin Mims Jr., with White in coverage. The ball fell incomplete.
The call: Cheffers’ crew flagged White for defensive pass interference, a 30-yard spot foul that put the Broncos in position for a short game-winning field goal.
Sean McDermott fumes over late interception call (0:57)An emotional Sean McDermott voices his frustration over the late interception ruling in the Bills’ loss to the Broncos. (0:57)
An emotional Sean McDermott voices his frustration over the late interception ruling in the Bills’ loss to the Broncos. (0:57)
CloseKevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Follow on X
Let’s take a closer look at each circumstance from Saturday night’s game.
The call: Referee Carl Cheffers’ crew ruled the play an interception.
The outcome turned on three calls in overtime, one an unusual interception that ended a Bills possession and the other two pass interference calls on Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White that generated 47 penalty yards on the Broncos’ winning drive. The coincidence of the two pass interference flags was not lost on longtime observers of Broncos coach Sean Payton, who missed a chance to advance to Super Bowl LIII in 2019 — when he was the coach of the New Orleans Saints — in large part because of a missed pass interference foul in the NFC Championship Game.