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The Buffalo Bills’ season ended in heartbreak once again, in large part due to some controversial officiating in overtime.
It could be argued that the Denver Broncos got away with defensive pass interference in the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but the Bills were able to force overtime anyway.
But that’s where it all unraveled for Buffalo, when Josh Allen threw an interception while trying to find Brandin Cooks deep.
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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 on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
At first, it looked like simultaneous possession, which would have led to the Bills holding the ball. But as Cooks went to the ground with the pigskin, the ball rolled into a position where Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian was able to scoop it away for an interception as Cooks lay on his back.
The instant replay review showed that Cooks was down on the ground with the ball, which would typically end the play and give the Bills a completion. But enough of the ball was already in McMillian’s arms when Cooks hit the ground that the officials didn’t reverse the call after looking at it.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott wanted the officials to take a long look at the play, so he called a timeout to do so — teams can’t challenge in overtime.
“It would seem logical to me … that the umpire would go and take a look at it, just to make sure everybody from here that’s in the stadium and over there is on the same page. It’s too big of a play, in my estimation, and a play that potentially decided the game as well to not even slow it down,” McDermott told reporters after the 30 loss.
Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’quan McMillian (29) intercepts a pass intended for 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 ruled the way it was ruled. If it’s ruled that way, why wasn’t it slowed just to make sure we got this right? That would have made a lot of sense to me, to make sure we got this thing right. Because it’s a crucial play in the game. We have the ball at the 20, so I can just kick a field goal there.”
But he didn’t let it lie. In fact, according to the Buffalo News, the coach called the exit from the team plane and berated the referees even more.
“That play is not even close,” he told the paper. “It’s a catch all the way. I sat in my locker and I looked at it probably 20 times and nobody can convince me that that ball isn’t caught and in Buffalo’s possession.”
The officials didn’t help later, calling questionable defensive pass interference on a severely underthrown ball, putting the Broncos in chip-shot territory.
The interception was the fourth committed by Allen, so there’s some more blame to go around, but no one could blame Bills fans for not sleeping well Saturday night.
Ja’quan McMillian of the Denver Broncos celebrates after intercepting a pass intended for Brandin Cooks of the Buffalo Bills during overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Empower Field At Mile High on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Now it will be the top-seeded Broncos who await the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans.
