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Brandin Cooks of the Buffalo Bills said he caught what ultimately became a controversial interception in the Denver Broncos’ overtime victory Saturday night.
Cooks, 32, was stripped of the ball by Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillan after he apparently 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 January 17, 2026. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“You see examples around the league all year long, in previous years, and you think, wait a minute, if that was the catch, then obviously this was the catch. But I think when you look back on it, the time that was spent reviewing it wasn’t enough.”
Cooks lamented the lack of time dedicated to the review, given the magnitude of the call. If it had been ruled a catch, it would have put the Bills in field goal range with a chance to win the game with 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 then when the timeout comes, I think, okay, here’s hope,” Cooks said.
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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/Image Images)
“They’re about to take a look at this and get it right. And that’s what’s going through my mind, right? The offense is marching toward Denver. Wait, wait. You know, that timeout will give them some time to be able to look at this. Clearly, they didn’t look at it enough and, you know, here we are.”
What frustrated Cooks even more is that he was sure he had held onto the ball and made what could have been the game-winning catch.
“(My) knee hit, my shoulder hit, my 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 that I caught that ball and, you know, now it doesn’t matter what I think or what I know,” Cooks said.
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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 loss, the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott. Bills owner Terry Pegula told reporters 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 deep 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.
