Davante Adams’s Controversial Catch Had NFL Fans All Saying the Same Thing About Bills

At this point, what even is a catch?

After Saturday saw a 50-50 ball go in favor of the defense, with Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillan being awarded an interception after wrestling free a ball from Brandin Cooks during Denver’s AFC divisional round win, an eerily similar moment occurred during the Bears-Rams game on Sunday.

Officials determined that the receiver, Davante Adams, had secured possession of the ball and was down by contact before the ball was pried free. It seemed a reasonable call at surface level, but when comparing the play to what occurred on Saturday, things get a bit more complicated.

The decision to rule it a catch and state that Adams was down by contact re-opened the debate about the NFL’s catch rule. Some members of the football world acknowledged the pain of Bills fans, who are probably still feeling like they got a bit screwed over, while others said the plays were completely different.

How is this davante Adams catch different than the Brandin cooks play . If anything the bears db had more possession than the broncos player yesterday pic.twitter.com/uoUJ4VO9kD
— John (@iam_johnw) January 19, 2026

I think Davante Adams had that and was down. But after yesterday, who the hell knows?
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 19, 2026

Brandin Cooks didn’t have possession.

Davante Adams did.

Make it make sense. pic.twitter.com/RDrtC6fglF
— Nic Costello (@costello_nic) January 19, 2026

That Davante catch actually shows the ridiculousness in folks acting like Cooks ever actually caught the ball last night.

The Cooks “catch” was nothing like Davante’s catch, most notably because Cooks never actually caught it.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) January 19, 2026

Before any Bills fans try using this Davante Adams catch as proof that they were robbed last night, no, they are not remotely similar plays.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) January 19, 2026

Bills fans seeing that Davante Adams catch… pic.twitter.com/T7AfLXwHTN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 19, 2026

This catch by Davante Adams was ruled complete in the Rams - Bears game…

This SAME PLAY was ruled an interception in the Bills - Broncos game… 🥶

These NFL Refs are so inconsistent…

pic.twitter.com/lTRQrPHGHi
— Mikerophone (@MikerophoneNFL) January 19, 2026

how was this davante adams play ruled a catch immediately but the bills was a pick??????? pic.twitter.com/c2FnefcGuP
— michael mancuso (@migmancuso) January 19, 2026

This debate doesn’t seem likely to dissipate anytime soon, as a pair of controversial rulings in critical moments have sprung the definition of a catch back into the limelight for the NFL.