Jon Scheyer was heated postgame:
"It's hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned for the safety of our players. I don't wanna make it about that, but... I got staff members that got punched in the face... That's not what this game is about. That was a scary ending."
At some point when reviewing plays, the league should consider adding a speed threshold for anything involving the element of time.
When you slow plays down to 1/100th the speed, it distorts what actually happened and makes it look like, in this case, Cooks possessed the ball for seconds prior to losing it. The game is not played in slow motion or frame by frame.
For a catch:
A) Secure control of the ball โ
B) Two feet down in bounds โ
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 upfield, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.
C is where there is a judgement needed since A and B are clearly met. Now consider this note to the rule:
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.
Because Cooks did lose control of the ball when he contacted the ground and the ball never contacted the ground, it was ruled an interception by Denver.
Bo Nix's injury sucks for the Denver Broncos.
It sucks for Broncos fans.
It sucks for the NFL.
But it sucks most for Bo Nix, who worked his entire life for this moment -- guiding his team to the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Only for a freak occurrence to derail those dreams in an instant.
Football is a beautiful sport. It's also an inherently cruel sport. The NFL doesn't care about what someone "deserves." You earn every step of the way.
Whether against the Texans or the Patriots, the Broncos have to win for 10 next Sunday. That's their leader, and his absence must be their rallying cry.
Bo earned the AFC Championship Game appearance. He deserves victory from those he helped get there.