NFL Referee Carl Cheffers Explains Ja'Quan McMillian Interception

NFL referee Carl Cheffers explains why it was an interception:

"The receiver has to complete the process of the catch.

He 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.

The defender gained possession of it at that point.

The defender is the one who completed the process of the catch and was awarded the ball."

DID THE BALL HIT THE GROUND?

Cheffers: "No. That was confirmed in the replay process. The interception was confirmed."

Here’s a clean, powerful way to explain both ideas so even someone who’s confused can follow it without getting defensive.

This keeps the logic tight and rooted in the NFL rulebook.

Why a receiver cannot be “down by contact” until he becomes a runner:

Down by contact only applies to a runner.

A player becomes a runner only after he has completed the process of a catch.

That means:

He must secure control of the ball;

He must get two feet or another body part down;

And if he’s going to the ground, he must survive the ground with control;

Only after all of that is true does he become a runner.

And only runners can be ruled down by contact.

So, if a receiver is still in the act of catching the ball, he is not a runner and therefore cannot be down by contact—no matter who touches him.

Why a receiver going to the ground must maintain control the entire time:

If a receiver is falling to the ground during the catch, the rule adds one more requirement:

He must maintain control all the way to the ground and through the landing.

This means:

If the ball moves,

If it shifts,

If it comes loose when he hits the ground,

If he loses control before he stops moving,

Then the catch is not complete.

And if the catch is not complete, he never becomes a runner.

And if he never becomes a runner, down by contact cannot apply.

The whole concept in one tight sentence.

You can’t be down by contact until you’re a runner, and you can’t be a runner until you’ve fully completed the catch—including surviving the ground if you’re falling.

Courtesy of Joseph Simmons

https://operations.nfl.com/media/e4sneelu/2025-nfl-rulebook-final.pdf