Bills’ Sean McDermott rips officials for controversial interception
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The Buffalo Bills’ season ended in heartbreak once again, largely due to some questionable officiating in overtime.
It could be argued that the Denver Broncos recovered from defensive pass interference late in the fourth quarter, but the Bills still managed to force overtime.
But that’s where everything unraveled for Buffalo when Josh Allen intercepted Brandin Cooks trying to find him deep.
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Ja’quan McMillian of the Denver Broncos intercepts a pass to Brandin Cooks of the Buffalo Bills during overtime of an AFC Division Playoff game at Empower Field At Mile High on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
At first this looked like a simultaneous possession that would lead to the Bills keeping the ball. But as Cooks came down with a pigskin, the ball came into such a position that Broncos linebacker Ja’Quan McMillian intervened by grabbing the ball as Cooks lay on his back.
Instant replay review showed Cooks went down and gained possession of the ball; which would usually end the game and give the Bills the completion. But most of the ball was already in McMillian’s arms when Cooks fell to the ground, and officials did not overturn the call after reviewing the ball.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott wanted the officials to take a long look at the play and called a timeout to do so; Teams cannot compete in overtime.
“It makes sense to me… that the head referee would want to come over and take a look at it to make sure everyone from here in the stadium is on the same page. My guess is that it’s a huge play and a potentially game-deciding play to even slow down the game,” McDermott told reporters after the 33-30 loss.
Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’quan McMillian (29) intercepts a pass to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks (18) during overtime of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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“It’s hard for me to understand why it was run that way. If it was run that way, then why didn’t he slow down just to make sure we had it? That would make a lot of sense to me, to make sure this thing is right. Because it’s such an important play in this game. We’ve got the ball in the 20, maybe we’re getting a game-winning shot. So I’ll just leave it at that.”
But he didn’t leave it at that. Actually, According to Buffalo NewsThe coach called the exit point from the team plane and further berated the officials.
“This game is not even close,” he told the outlet. “It’s a catch all the way. I sat at my locker and looked at it probably 20 times, and no one can convince me that the ball wasn’t caught and Buffalo didn’t have it.”
The officials then failed to help, calling for questionable defensive pass interference on a seriously overthrown ball, putting the Broncos in chip-shot range.
This interception was the fourth by Allen, so there’s more blame at stake, but no one can blame Bills fans for not sleeping well Saturday night.
Ja’quan McMillian of the Denver Broncos celebrates after intercepting a pass to Brandin Cooks of the Buffalo Bills during overtime of an AFC Division Playoff game at Empower Field At Mile High on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
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Now, it will be the top-seeded Broncos waiting for the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
