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 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.
Let’s take a closer look at each circumstance from Saturday night’s game.
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.
The call: Referee Carl Cheffers’ crew ruled the play an interception.
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 rulebook also includes this note: “If a player who has completed the first two, but not the third requirement for possession, contacts the ground and loses control of the ball, there is no possession.”
Video of the play shows that is what happened. The ball transferred from Cooks to McMillian when Cooks contacted the ground. So, Cooks didn’t meet the NFL’s definition of possession. McMillian did. He had control of the ball, he was inbounds and he maintained control as he tumbled over Cooks.
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
The call: White was flagged for pass interference.
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 Bills are usually good at straddling the line. They were tied for the fewest defensive pass interference flags in the NFL this season (four). And in this case, an argument could be made that White’s contact did not appear significant. These calls are difficult to see in real time, but a reasonable person could watch a replay and not attribute the incompletion to White’s contact.
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.
Analysis: After getting the earlier call, Nix went looking for another just two plays later. This time, White’s contact appeared more significant. He grabbed Mims around the torso and began tackling him before the ball arrived. It does not matter whether Mims would have likely caught the pass absent the contact. White’s contact prevented Mims from having the chance that the rule book insists he should get to catch the ball.
