Joe Burrow says two controversial calls in NFL playoffs were correct

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hadn’t posted on the social media website X since April 2024, but he couldn’t sit back and watch the general public rag on NFL officials for their controversial calls in the divisional round.

The NFL playoffs’ divisional round featured two controversial calls on contested catches – the first, in the Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills game, resulted in an interception; the other, in the Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams game, was ruled a catch.

While some fans, analysts and in one case, an opposing head coach have criticized the officials and their decisions in the days since the two plays, Burrow felt the need to set things straight.

The Bengals’ quarterback took to social media to say he agreed with both calls the NFL’s officiating crews made in each game – and that neither should have been controversial to begin with.

‘The amount of (people) that don’t understand what a catch is in the rule book flabbergasts me,’ Burrow wrote on X. ‘And it’s not the officials. The two plays yesterday were not difficult calls, and they got them both right.’

Though Burrow wrote ‘yesterday’ on Jan. 19, the earlier play he was referring to happened on Jan. 17, two days prior.

The Bengals’ quarterback is not alone in his belief that both plays were officiated correctly.

CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore said he agreed with the interception call that benefited the Broncos and cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian in the first case. One day later, NBC rules analyst and former NFL referee Terry McAulay said Rams wide receiver Davante Adams completed the process of a catch against the Bears in another bang-bang play, indicating the game’s officials ruled the play correctly.

Both teams to benefit from the controversial calls ruled in their favor went on to win their respective divisional round games. The Broncos and Rams will both play in their respective conference championships next weekend. Time will tell whether Burrow’s public defense of the NFL’s officiating earned him any extra calls to his benefit in the future.