One of the biggest plays in Saturday’s Broncos win over the Bills was Broncos safety Ja’Quan McMillian’s interception of a Josh Allen pass to Brandin Cooks in overtime.
McMillian wrestled the ball out of Cooks’ hands as or after Cooks went to the ground with apparent possession of the ball. Officials ruled it an interception on the field and the Broncos went on to kick a field goal for a 33-30 win.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott was unable to challenge the ruling because it was subject to automatic review as a turnover and because challenges are not allowed in over time, but he called a timeout after the play to speak to officials. After the game, McDermott said he called the timeout because he wanted “the process to slow down” and said “In my eyes it was” a catch by Cooks. McDermott’s gambit didn’t lead to any further review and he made his disagreement with the ruling clear after the game.
“It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said. “If it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down just to make sure that we have this right. That would have made a lot of sense to me. . . . I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo, damn it. I’m standing up for us. That’s not how it should go down.”
The Bills are no strangers to painful losses, but Saturday’s will likely earn a high ranking on the all-time list.