Just under a week after his team’s heartbreaking loss in the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs, Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks has opened up further about the controversial, game-ending interception call that cost his team a bid to the AFC championship.
“At the end of the day, it was a catch. Not just what it looked like, like what you said, but what it felt like,” Cooks said during a Thursday appearance on Good Morning Football. “You see examples throughout the league all year and in previous years, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, if that was a catch, it's a no-brainer that this was a catch.’
“I really feel in my heart of hearts that I caught that ball. But it doesn’t matter now what I think or what I know, we sitting here not playing.”
Cooks also said that he had hope that the referees were going to take a longer look at the play, since it happened during overtime, and then-coach Sean McDermott wasn’t able to challenge the ruling on the field.
But “when you look back at it, the time that was spent on it to review it wasn’t enough. Given the magnitude of that game and the situation, it's a little disappointing,” he said.
Clearly, in his mind, “they didn’t look it through enough. And here we are.”
The receiver also added later that he “felt like I let Josh Allen down.”
“At the end of the day, it was a catch. Not just what it looked like but what it felt like.”#Bills WR Brandin Cooks with us on @gmfb to give his perspective on the pivotal INT that knocked Buffalo out of the playoffs and Sean McDermott out of a job. pic.twitter.com/2TuYo96601
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 22, 2026
Cooks’s remarks on Thursday dovetail with what he said in the locker room on Saturday. The receiver was visibly emotional as he told reporters that Allen had been “carrying us all year. ... He's the greatest quarterback in this league.”
“You know, I think we all feel that way, that you work so hard, and personally, so thankful to be a part of this, and I look back like, man, what could I have done to alleviate some of that pressure from him?“
Had the outcome of the play been ruled a catch, the Bills would have been in position to at least kick a field goal and thus win the game in overtime. Instead, it was ruled an interception, with possession moving to the Broncos. Denver would end the game on the next drive.
And not only did the loss knock the Bills out of the playoffs, but it also ultimately cost coach Sean McDermott his job. Indeed, just days after the defeat, McDermott was dismissed, and team owner Terry Pegula then confirmed Wednesday that the decision was a direct result of the Denver game.
While Cooks is right that there isn’t much to be done now that the game is over, you can understand why he is still wrestling with it, especially given the consequences. Hopefully, he can find some peace there soon and just prepare to get after it again next season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bills’ Brandin Cooks Doubles Down on Controversial Interception Call: ‘It Was a Catch’.
