Hey, NFL: What’s a catch?
Once again, many football fans, coaches and commentators are questioning the definition of a catch after a disputed interception helped eliminate the Buffalo Bills from the playoffs in a 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
Josh Allen’s deep pass to Brandin Cooks in overtime was wrestled out of the veteran receiver’s hands by Ja’Quan McMillian, and officials ruled that McMillian had the ball before Cooks was down by contact. Denver was awarded the turnover at its 20.
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Cooks “was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground,” referee Carl Cheffers said in a pool report. “The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott couldn’t challenge the ruling because of the league’s overtime rules, so he called a timeout to give the officiating crew and replay officials a chance to take an extended look. The play already had been confirmed through the NFL’s expedited review process in New York, so the timeout essentially just gave McDermott an opportunity to get an explanation.
McDermott, of course, wasn’t pleased. But he was even more upset by the appearance of a rushed process. There are routine plays in regular-season games that are examined more in depth on replay reviews.
“When I called the timeout … Carl came over and those guys were great. They were great, and I said, ‘Hey, what did you see?’ and then quickly, somebody said: ‘Hey, New York has confirmed. New York has confirmed,’” McDermott said. “From that point, it was a moot point. We were moving on. Had I not called a timeout, they were just moving on, it appeared. … This is not about, ‘Hey, we lost.’ It’s not about that at all. You play the game, you play it fair and square. I just, again, wish just for the sake of the players and all the time and energy that was spent — three hours, 70-plus minutes of a game. That was a pivotal play, that’s all I’m saying.”
By definition, it seems interception was the right call. Many folks disagree.
“I have never seen a contested catch like this ever be called anything but a catch,” retired three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman posted on X. “Even as a DB you know that if it’s even a (t)ie it will go to the WR. Can’t believe this decided the game.”
Dan Orlovsky, an ESPN analyst and longtime backup quarterback, said: “This in an NFL playoff game got ruled an interception and ended Buffalo’s season?!!?? This is a catch every time.”
Similar plays have been ruled both ways.
There was a batted ball during a Ravens-Steelers game in Week 14 that bounced back to Aaron Rodgers but was ripped out of his hands by Teddye Buchanan, who was initially awarded an interception. But the play was overturned because it was determined that Rodgers “had control of the ball and as he was going to the ground” and “he never lost control of the ball and then his knees hit the ground in control,” according to NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth.
In Week 12, Rams defensive back Cobie Durant ripped a ball out of Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton’s hands while he was going down and returned it 50 yards for a score. Though Otton appeared to have a knee down, the play stood and was ruled an interception and touchdown.
This isn’t the first time the NFL has dealt with a catch issue in a playoff game.
There was the Dez Bryant non-catch in a divisional-round game on Jan. 11, 2015 at Green Bay that cost Dallas. The Cowboys trailed the Packers 26-21 when Tony Romo threw a deep ball on fourth down to Bryant that initially was ruled a catch inside the 1. But the play was overturned because officials determined Bryant didn’t control the ball while hitting the ground.
That led the NFL to clarify the rule and then to eventually overhaul it in 2018, when “survive the ground” was eliminated from the definition.
What is a catch?
Here is the full definition of a catch, according to the NFL rule book:
A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) in the field of play, at the sideline, or in the end zone if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, clearly performs any act common to the game (e.g., extend the ball forward, take an additional step, tuck the ball away and turn up field, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.
Notes:
(1) Movement of the ball does not automatically result in loss of control.
(2) If a player, who satisfied (a) and (b), but has not satisfied (c), contacts the ground and loses control of the ball, it is an incomplete pass if the ball hits the ground before he regains control, or if he regains control out of bounds.”
The rule book also weighs in on two players catching a ball at the same time:
“If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.”
A catch can be complex. Sometimes it’s difficult to see in real time and it can even be hard to determine on replay.
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