Key questions about close calls in Broncos' win over Bills - ESPN

When all eyes are on a single NFL playoff game, officiating decisions attract outsized attention. Throw in the stress of overtime, and you've got the fierce debate that erupted at the end of the Denver Broncos' 33-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Saturday's divisional round.

The outcome turned on three calls in overtime, one an unusual interception that ended a Bills possession, another on a pass interference call on Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White and one on Taron Johnson. The two penalties generated 47 yards on the Broncos' winning drive. The coincidence of the two pass interference flags was not lost on longtime observers of Broncos coach Sean Payton, who missed a chance to advance to Super Bowl LIII in 2019 — when he was the coach of the New Orleans Saints — in large part because of a missed pass interference foul in the NFC Championship Game.

Let's take a closer look at each circumstance from Saturday night's game.

The situation: The Bills had the ball at their 36-yard line, facing third down with 11 yards to go. Quarterback Josh Allen threw a deep ball over the right hashmark to receiver Brandin Cooks. Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian was in coverage. Cooks made a leaping catch, but the ball moved from his hands to McMillian's almost immediately after Cooks landed on the ground.

The call: Referee Carl Cheffers' crew ruled the play an interception.

Analysis: Essentially, Cheffers' crew was saying that Cooks did not have possession of the ball before it moved into McMillian's hands. And because the ball didn't hit the ground, it was still live at that point.

According to the NFL rulebook, Cooks needed to do three things to demonstrate possession and be awarded a catch. First, he needed to have complete