Bills blame loss on refs, upset over McMillian’s legendary Broncos pick

DENVER — The Buffalo Bills aimed their frustration at the refs after their heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos, with their head coach calling for a second media session just so he could voice more displeasure. He wasn’t alone; several of his players joined in on blaming the refs after the 33-30 loss in overtime of the NFL Playoffs’ Divisional Round.

There are a few plays that ticked off Buffalo, but the main one was Ja’Quan McMillian’s game-changing overtime interception. With 6:09 to play, the Bills had a third and 11 on their own 36-yard line. They needed a score, any score, to win the game. Former MVP Josh Allen launched and found Brandin Cooks deep down the middle of the field. Cooks, having a step on McMillian, came down with the ball at about the Broncos’ 20-yard line. But while Cooks was going to the ground, McMillian ripped it away from him.

Had Cooks held on or the refs deemed he did, the Bills would’ve likely kicked an easy field goal a few plays later to win the game. Instead, the Broncos got the ball on their own 20-yard line and drove down the field with the help of two defensive pass interference calls to win the game on their own 23-yard field goal.

What a play in OT by Ja'Quan McMillian 😳

BUFvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/noqikIoPQC

— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2026

“That play is not even close. That’s a catch all the way,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “I sat in my locker and I looked at it probably 20 times, and nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo. I just have no idea how the NFL handed it, in particular, the way that they did. I think the players and the fans deserve an explanation, you know?

He said that to Buffalo reporters hours after the game in a phone call because he felt he didn’t say enough in his post-game news conference

“It’s hard for me to, and I’ve had a chance to look at it, it’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said in a viral quote in his initial news conference. “If it was ruled that way why wasn’t it slowed down to make sure we have this thing right? That’s a pivotal play in the game and we have the ball at the 20 and are maybe kicking a game-winning field goal right there.”

McDermott then unleashed.

“I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo,” the coach said. “Because what went on is not how it should go down… to not even slow it down. That’s why I’m bothered…In my eyes, it (was a catch.) Even if it wasn’t — the players are owed it to stop and slow it down and have a chance to look at the monitor.”

McDermott took a timeout after the play, but there was no extended review. And there are no challenges in overtime.

“The fans deserve more. The players certainly deserve more. They deserve an explanation, and it’s a shame that a game is decided on a call like that, and there is no time spent with the head official going underneath the hood or to the replay booth, right,” McDermott said. “To the monitor. I don’t understand how that works. I don’t understand how that could be the case when it’s such a close play, so basically there is one person ruling on that play or, only New York ruling on that play? I don’t agree with that. If that’s the case, I don’t agree with that — that that is the best approach to decide a game like that.”

Here is the full video.

Sean McDermott is not happy with how the Brandin Cooks play was called or handled @WKBW pic.twitter.com/HVu1rvzQw5

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) January 18, 2026

“The receiver has to complete the process of a catch,” NFL referee Carl Cheffers, who called the game, explained to a reporter. “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. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one who completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”

Cheffers confirmed that the league took a look and that the ball never hit the ground.

Bills tackle Dion Dawkins tweeted screen grabs of the play on social media a few hours after the game.

🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/HTUIzqTLjG

— Dion Dawkins (@DDawkins66) January 18, 2026

Former NFL referee and CBS analyst Gene Steratore explained live on the broadcast why he thought the call was good. Though 80% of the folks who have responded believed it was a catch.

My thoughts on the overtime ruling of interception in #BUFvsDEN.

What do you think? pic.twitter.com/HssWn8zSHh

— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) January 18, 2026

Former NFL referee Terry McAulay also agreed, saying it was pretty clear by rule that the call of an interception was correct.

For what it’s worth, Allen didn’t blame the officials but took responsibility for the Bills’ offense’s five turnovers in an emotional postgame soundbite.

“I let my teammates down,” he said.

And that’s where the Bills’ complaints turn to the following plays, where Bo Nix led a six-play drive with 53 penalty yards to get the Broncos a game-winning field goal from Wil Lutz. Both Tre White and Taron Johnson were called for defensive pass interference, setting up the score.

“I believe so (it was a ticky tack call), I thought I didn’t interfere with the guy,” White said. “When the ball got there, I swiped through and knocked the ball down, fell on top of him. I thought the crowd played a big role in that. Referees are human; people make mistakes. I just think it should be up to the players to decide the game, with a game that is fought so hard and comes down to the wire with plays like that. That’s a bang-bang play, that’s what you want, finish the play. Referees just don’t know ball man.”

White slammed his helmet and was issued an unsportsmanlike flag, making the Broncos short kick even easier.

Tre White did not appear to like the call that went against him pic.twitter.com/bWicBgGpSO

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 18, 2026

“You can’t blame the officials. That’s not what I try to do,” Bills offensive lineman Spencer Brown said. “But you’re letting the guys play all game long. I was holding the piss out of some people today and they didn’t call it. There was a third down right before we kicked the field goal — I was holding Cooper hard and they didn’t call that.They were letting the boys play, but that’s a well-coached team.”

“They knew where we were at and where they were at on the field. I think those passes were not really thrown to be caught. I think they were thrown to go out there and make us make a mistake and get a little help from the zebras. I thought they called a good game for the whole time. Those things are going to happen.”

While Western New York might be sore, the interception that flipped the game will go down in Broncos lore.

“We were in cover zero, which means none of the DBs have help,” McMillian walked through the play. “They actually picked the pressure up good after they checked out to some protection. You know, he was sitting back there for a while. I didn’t see I was chasing my man. He had a step on me. I just fought through the hands, finished the play. He actually had the ball coming down. And once I had my hand on the ball, I was able to take it from him. I fell on top of him, and, you know, just held the ball up, showed the fans some love.”

Denver’s head coach Sean Payton was also upset with the refs over a play just before that. He believed the Broncos should’ve walked off winners on a hold in the end zone, where Josh Allen escaped out of a sack to go for four yards, setting up a third down the Bills would convert on. McMillian’s pick came several plays after.

“Fantastic,” Payton said about the play. “Two things happened. There’s actually a hold in the end zone. That would’ve been the first time the game would’ve ended with a safety. When [DT] D.J. [Jones] just gets completely [held]. But the throw is made, the catch is being made, but the catch isn’t secured. So in these playoff games, you have officials. If the catch was secured, it wouldn’t have been an interception. So, as it’s not secured and we get it, it’s our ball. It was an amazing play by ‘J-Mac’ (CB Ja’Quan McMillian).”

McMillian wasn’t buying any of the controversy.

“I don’t really think he had complete control going down,” McMillian said. “We were both fighting for the ball… I just made a play and basically took it out of his hands and came up with it.”

The Broncos defense will need to keep making plays without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who broke his right ankle late in overtime, when Denver hosts either the Patriots or Texans in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.

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