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Bills OL Dion Dawkins calls out referees over controversial Josh Allen interception

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels01/18/26ChandlerVessels

Dion Dawkins seems to think the Buffalo Bills were the victims of a bad call from officials late in Saturday’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos. In overtime of the eventual 33-30 defeat, quarterback Josh Allen threw a critical interception that garnered some discussion.

Buffalo receiver Brandin Cooks appeared to catch the ball before having it wrestled away by Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. He rolled over with possession and it was ruled a turnover.

However, Dawkins went to social media and posted a pair of photos from different angles that appeared to show Cook’s knee down at the time he still had possession. That implies that officials got the call wrong and it should have been ruled a catch.

Had it been ruled a catch for Cooks instead of an interception, the Bills would have been in Denver territory with a chance to potentially win the game. Instead, Denver took over possession and went on to kick a field goal to win the game.

The Denver Broncos will now head to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2015, when they knocked off the New England Patriots 20-18 and sent Hall of Famer Peyton Manning off in style with a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

But according to Dawkins, they had a little bit of extra help to get there. Either way, Buffalo’s season now ends with a playoff loss for the seventh straight year.

NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore reacts to controversial Josh Allen OT interception

Dawkins had a strong reaction to the play after the game. However, not everyone agreed with him about the play.

As the referees reviewed the play, CBS Sports’ rules analyst Gene Steratore agreed during the broadcast that it was an interception. He was right, and the interception kickstarted Denver’s game-winning drive.

“This is really close,” Steratore said. “I’m not sure that (Brandin) Cooks has possession coming to the ground there to say that it would be simultaneous. It feels to me like Cooks doesn’t have firm possession of the football, and they’re down by contact.”

The AFC Championship Game is scheduled for Jan. 25 and will feature Denver against either the New England Patriots or the Houston Texans.

On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this report.