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The Buffalo Bills’ season ended in heartbreak once again, largely due to some controversial referees in overtime.
You could argue 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.
That’s where it all fell apart for Buffalo, though, when Josh Allen threw an interception while trying to find Brandin Cooks deep.
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Ja’quan McMillian of the 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. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
At first, it looked like a simultaneous possession, which would have led to the Bills keeping the ball. But when Cooks fell to the ground with the pigskin, the ball rolled into a position where Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian was able to snatch it away for an interception while Cooks was lying on his back.
Instant replay review showed Cooks was on the ground with possession of the ball, which would normally end the play and give the Bills a completion. But there was enough of the ball in McMillian’s arms when Cooks fell to the ground that the referees did not reverse the decision after reviewing it.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott wanted the referees to take a close look at the play, so he called a timeout to do so: teams cannot play in overtime.
“It would make sense to me … that the head referee would walk over and want to go take a look at it, just to make sure that everyone in the stadium up there is on the same page. That’s too big a play, in my opinion, and a play that potentially decided the game as well, to even slow it down,” McDermott told reporters after the 33-30 loss.
Broncos cornerback Ja’quan McMillian intercepts a pass intended for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks during the AFC divisional playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. (Ron Chenoy/Image Images)
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“It’s hard for me to understand why it was governed the way it was governed. If it was governed that way, then why didn’t it slow down just to make sure we had this right? That would have made a lot of sense to me, to make sure we had this right. Because that’s a pivotal play in the game. We have the ball at the 20-yard line, maybe kicking a game-winning field goal right there. So I’ll leave it at that.”
But he didn’t leave it like that. In fact, according to the Buffalo News, the coach called the media from the team plane and further berated the referees.
“That play isn’t even close,” he told the outlet. “That’s a catch from the beginning. I sat in my locker and looked at it probably 20 times, and no one can convince me that ball isn’t caught and in Buffalo’s possession.”
The refs didn’t help later, calling a questionable defensive pass interference call on a very poorly thrown ball, putting the Broncos in range.
The interception was Allen’s fourth committed, so there’s more blame to go around, but no one could blame Bills fans for not sleeping well Saturday night.
Ja’quan McMillian of the Broncos celebrates after intercepting a pass intended for Brandin Cooks of the Buffalo Bills during overtime at Empower Field At Mile High on Jan. 17, 2026 in Denver. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Now, the Broncos will be the first seeds awaiting the winner of Sunday’s confrontation between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans.
