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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian were involved in one of the most controversial plays that happened so far in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw a deep pass to Cooks who appeared to come down with the ball before McMillian snatched it from his hands, resulting in an interception. It seems that the play won't prompt any rulebook changes.
"The NFL and competition committee are not planning to make major changes this offseason to the catch rule, sources say," Mark Maske of the Washington Post wrote in his post on X following the Bills' 33-30 overtime loss at the Broncos in the AFC Divisional matchup. Plenty of people watching the game were wondering how the play could have resulted in an interception, especially when considering the league's catch rule.
"Although they could take steps to promote better understanding of rulings, this doesn't preclude a proposal by an individual team," Maske continued. At the time of the interception, the Bills were driving down the field after forcing Denver to punt after their first possession in overtime, meaning that all Buffalo had to do was get into field-goal range so that they could kick the ball through the uprights, if that's what they chose to do. According to the officials, the play was determined as per the rules.
"The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground," head official Carl Cheffers said during a pool report following the game, per Chris Brown of One Bills Live. "The defender gain possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball."
Ultimately, the Bills went on to lose the game to once again end their playoff journey before many expected, prompting Bills owner Terry Pegula to fire head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons in that position. While Buffalo fans are hoping that newly-anointed head coach Joe Brady can take the team farther than McDermott could, Bills Mafia has to be hoping that kind of play doesn't happen to them in the postseason again, especially if the catch rule isn't going to be modified in any way.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Interception in Bills playoff game won't change NFL's catch rule
Continue reading...
"The NFL and competition committee are not planning to make major changes this offseason to the catch rule, sources say," Mark Maske of the Washington Post wrote in his post on X following the Bills' 33-30 overtime loss at the Broncos in the AFC Divisional matchup. Plenty of people watching the game were wondering how the play could have resulted in an interception, especially when considering the league's catch rule.
"Although they could take steps to promote better understanding of rulings, this doesn't preclude a proposal by an individual team," Maske continued. At the time of the interception, the Bills were driving down the field after forcing Denver to punt after their first possession in overtime, meaning that all Buffalo had to do was get into field-goal range so that they could kick the ball through the uprights, if that's what they chose to do. According to the officials, the play was determined as per the rules.
"The receiver has to complete the process of a catch. He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground," head official Carl Cheffers said during a pool report following the game, per Chris Brown of One Bills Live. "The defender gain possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball."
Ultimately, the Bills went on to lose the game to once again end their playoff journey before many expected, prompting Bills owner Terry Pegula to fire head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons in that position. While Buffalo fans are hoping that newly-anointed head coach Joe Brady can take the team farther than McDermott could, Bills Mafia has to be hoping that kind of play doesn't happen to them in the postseason again, especially if the catch rule isn't going to be modified in any way.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Interception in Bills playoff game won't change NFL's catch rule
Continue reading...
