Good luck to NFL officials trying to interpret both calls.
NFL officials on Saturday determined that Bills receiver Brandin Cooks did not make a football move after receiving the ball. Even though Cooks’ knee touched the ground and the ball was clearly in his hands, Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian was called for an interception after the two fell to the ground.
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The interception call tipped Denver’s 33-30 playoff win over Buffalo in the Broncos’ favor.
Why did Davante Adams win the Capture Award?
On Sunday, Rams receiver Davante Adams was involved in a similar play during another crucial moment in the divisional playoffs. Except this time, officials awarded Adams a catch.
The catch was not intercepted but gave the Rams a fourth-quarter touchdown and a 20-17 overtime win.
On this play, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looked at Adams in traffic on second-and-10 midfield. Adams pinned the ball between two defenders.
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Before taking a step, Adams was dragged to the ground. Before and when his knee made contact with the ground, Bears defensive back Tyrik Stevenson put his hands on the ball and struggled to control the ball. Stevenson ripped the ball away from Adams before Adams fell to the ground and caught the ball.
So, what makes it so popular? The following is Shawn Hochuli’s explanation at the scene:
“The ruling on the pitch was runner-up down due to contact,” Hochuli said. “First down, offended.”
Terry McCauley agrees with both calls
The Bears did not contest the call, and the Rams scored a touchdown five plays later to take a 17-10 lead. After the catch, NBC spoke with former NFL official and rules analyst Terry McAluay about his thoughts. He agreed with his former colleague that the show was “obviously” legal.
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“He obviously accomplished that,” McCauley said. “He had enough time to execute a move that is common in the game and then he fell to the ground and his knee dropped before he lost control.”
Compare that to McCauley’s explanation for Cooks not catching the ball on social media on Saturday:
“The player who comes to the ground to receive the ball must maintain control during and after contact with the ground. This is the rule. Please apply accordingly.”
So what’s the difference? Here are the controversial games between the Broncos and Bills:
“A player goes down to catch the ball” does the heavy lifting here.
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McCauley saw “common in-game behavior” in Adams that he didn’t see in Cooks. Adams didn’t take a step. He didn’t turn downfield. He did land on his feet, upright, just as Cooks’ feet touched the ground, but he fell to the turf while catching the ball — well, not catching the ball.
That’s enough for McCauley to agree that Adams caught the ball and Cooks didn’t.
CBS analyst Gene Steratore participated in the conference call regarding the Cooks-McMillian drama. He also agreed with the call from the scene. He didn’t believe Cooks ever had the ball to warrant simultaneous possession, even though Cooks had a firm and clear grasp of the ball upon landing.
“I’m not sure if the Cooks had the ball, other than it would have been simultaneous,” Stratore said. “It seemed to me that the Cooks didn’t have a solid handle on the ball when they were trailing due to contact.”
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Meanwhile, the following NFL rulebook states that when the receiver and defender have possession of the ball at the same time, the ball belongs to the offense:
“If a pass is caught by two eligible opponents at the same time and both players retain the ball, the ball belongs to the passer.
“If one player gains possession first and an opponent subsequently gains joint possession, the catch is not simultaneous. If the ball is choked after simultaneous contact by two such players, all players on the passing team are eligible to catch the loose ball.”
Cooks had possession of the ball before McMillian snatched it away, which seemed to be enough to rule out “simultaneous possession” under the law.
These explanations are not enough to satisfy those who disagree with one or both—especially those who believe that the two titles are inconsistent. The fact that these calls were tied to such high stakes on consecutive nights made the atmosphere even higher.