NFL Referee Gene Steratore Weighs In on Broncos-Bills Officiating

The Denver Broncos benefited from some controversial officiating during Saturday's 33-30 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The first play that sparked outrage was cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian's interception. Bills coach Sean McDermott is convinced wide receiver Brandin Cooks caught the ball and was down by contact, but the NFL confirmed the interception from New York, and referee Carl Cheffers explained the ruling after the game. Advertisement After that turnover, Buffalo committed two pass interference penalties that helped set up Denver's game-winning field goal. Following the game, former NFL ref and current CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore chimed in on the calls, starting with the McMillian play. "The interception is a wild play, with a lot going on," Steratore tweeted. "Seeing it full speed, I thought it was an interception and would’ve ruled it that way if I was on the field. My perspective on it is that Cooks lost the ball as soon as his body hit the ground. In my opinion, if there was no defender near him and he lost the ball when he hit the ground, the ruling would’ve been incomplete." Steratore did note that he would have liked to have seen the game stopped for an official review and an announcement on the official's ruling. Steratore did not think the first DPI penalty on the Broncos' game-winning drive was warranted, but he noted that Joey Bosa was flagged for roughing the passer on the play, which Denver declined. Had the DPI flag not been thrown, the Broncos would have accepted a 15-yard Bosa penalty, which was just two yards fewer than the 17-yard DPI foul. Advertisement Finally, Steratore said the second DPI penalty was correctly called. Tre'Davious White started tackling Marvin Mims before the ball arrived. In the end, none of the blown calls proved to be more costly than the officials' missing Bills holding in the end zone, a penalty that would have awarded the Broncos a game-winning safety. That could have ended the game before McMillian's interception, the two DPI calls and quarterback Bo Nix's season-ending ankle injury on the game-winning drive. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.