Story byBilly HeyenSun, January 18, 2026 at 2:52 PM UTC·2 min readRef Carl Cheffers explains controversial Bills call on catch-turned-interception vs. Broncos originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. It'll likely be tough for Buffalo Bills fans to ever see what Brandin Cooks did in overtime on Saturday night as anything but a catch. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut the officials on the field, led by head referee Carl Cheffers, ruled it an interception for Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillan. Instead of the Bills being in chip-shot range to win the game in OT, the Broncos had the ball, and they drove and kicked their own winning field goal. MORE: Bills are wasting Josh Allen's prime, and it's time to fire Sean McDermottIt brought out the NFL's classic nightmare question, "What is a catch?"Still, no one really knows. After the game, Cheffers explained it this way to pool reporter Jeff Legwold:"The receiver has to complete the process of a catch.