Bills wide receiver insists he caught ball that refs controversially ruled an interception in playoff loss

Buffalo Bills

Bills wide receiver insists he caught ball that refs controversially ruled an interception in playoff loss

The Denver Broncos won 33-30 over the Bills, capitalizing on the controversial call

Ryan Canfield Fox News

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January 22, 2026 12:56pm EST

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Bills fire Sean McDermott after losing 33-30 in OT to the Broncos | The Herd

The Buffalo Bills lost 33-30 in OT to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional round, and have fired their head coach Sean McDermott. Colin Cowherd analyzes the game, and asks if this was the right move by the Bills.

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Buffalo Bills wide Brandin Cooks said that he caught what ultimately turned into a controversial interception in the Denver Broncos’ overtime victory on Saturday night.

Cooks, 32, had the ball taken away from him by Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillan after he seemingly completed the catch. The referees ruled it an interception, taking the ball away from the Bills.

"At the end of the day, it was a catch. Not just what it looked like, like you said, but what it felt like," Cooks said during a recent appearance on NFL Network’s "Good Morning Football."

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Ja'Quan McMillian of the Denver Broncos intercepts a pass intended for Brandin Cooks of the Buffalo Bills during overtime in the AFC divisional playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 17, 2026. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

"You see examples throughout the league all year, in previous years, and you like, wait a minute, if that was the catch, then there's a no-brainer that this was the catch. But I think when you look back at it, the time that was spent on it to review it wasn't enough."

Cooks lamented the lack of time that was spent on the review, given the magnitude of the call. If it was ruled a catch, it would have moved the Bills into field goal range with a chance to win the game on a kick. Instead, the interception gave the Broncos the ball back to their offense with a chance to win the game.

"The first thing you think about, well, it's overtime, so we can't challenge it. And so, when the timeout happens, I'm like, okay, there's hope here," Cooks said.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION COACH SLAMS BILLS FOR FIRING SEAN MCDERMOTT AFTER CRUSHING PLAYOFF LOSS

Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian intercepts a pass intended for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks during overtime of an AFC divisional round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)

"Like, OK, they're about to take a look at this thing, and get it right. And that's what's going through my mind, right? The offense is marching out there for Denver. Like, wait, hold on. You know, that timeout is going to get them some time to be able to, you know, look this through. Clearly, they didn't look it through enough and, you know, here we are."

What frustrated Cooks further, is that he was certain that he held onto the ball and made what could have been the game-winning catch.

"(My) knee hit, shoulder hit, back hit, whatever the case may be, my hands never left that ball, right? The other thing is the tie goes to offense, but I really feel in my heart of hearts that I caught that ball and ,you know, it doesn't matter now what I think or what I know," Cooks said.

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Ja'Quan McMillian celebrates an interception

Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian (29) reacts after intercepting a pass intended for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks (18) during overtime of an NFL divisional round playoff football game in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

After the crushing playoff defeat, the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott. Bills owner Terry Pegula told reporters on Wednesday that his decision to fire McDermott was based on the results of the team’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos on Sunday.

Cooks signed with the Bills in late November to help bolster their wide receiving corps. In five regular season games with the Bills, he caught five passes for 114 yards. In two playoff games, Cooks caught five passes for 78 yards.

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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.

Bills wide receiver insists he caught ball that refs controversially ruled an interception in playoff loss