LAS VEGAS — Mecole Hardman started the season dreaming about profitable a Tremendous Bowl with the Jets.
He ended it really profitable it with the Chiefs.
Hardman caught a 3-yard game-winning landing in time beyond regulation to offer the Chiefs an exciting 25-22 victory over the 49ers.
The play was known as “Tom and Jerry” and quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated that Hardman didn’t even notice the sport was over when he caught it.
“Can I inform you a fast joke?” Mahomes stated on the NFL Community together with his arm round Hardman. “I threw a landing to this dude to finish the sport and he had no thought. I stated, ‘Dude, we simply received the Tremendous Bowl. He had no thought. He didn’t even rejoice at the start.”
Hardman stated it was not that he didn’t know the sport was over however he simply “blacked out.”
“After I noticed the cornerback up, I knew I used to be going to get the ball,” Hardman stated. “I caught the ball and I blacked out. I’m not going to lie. I noticed Pat operating towards me and I used to be like, ‘Oh, we simply received.’ After that, the remaining is historical past.”
It was an incredible ending to a season Hardman described as a “curler coaster” earlier within the week.
The Jets signed him to a $4 million contract final offseason, however then barely used him earlier than buying and selling him to the Chiefs in October.
Hardman had one catch in his total time with the Jets.
He had three Sunday.
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“There have been a whole lot of ups and downs,” Hardman stated. “Going by way of lots, particularly with the damage [to end last season] after which beginning over with a brand new group and didn’t actually play. KC welcomed me again with open arms and now to get right here to the Tremendous Bowl and to finish the way it ended, I don’t assume I’d need it another means.”
Hardman had three catches for 57 yards and the landing Sunday night time.
He had a 52-yard catch earlier within the sport.
“I couldn’t be happier for my man,” Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce stated. “It introduced me to tears that he was the person. Generally the media world will be fairly harsh on a man. Mecole is one in all my favourite teammates ever as a result of he simply retains displaying up and he retains discovering methods to win. He had an enormous play early on that sparked us. On high of that, he discovered a approach to win the sport for us.
“Everyone counted him out. Even the Jets counted him out. We had been so excited when he obtained again within the constructing as a result of he’s the type of man that brings all people collectively.”
The Jets talked about having a giant position for Hardman once they signed him however he solely performed 28 snaps in 5 video games and was inactive for an additional sport with them.
The Jets traded Hardman again to Kansas Metropolis, the place he had spent the earlier 4 seasons, in October together with a 2025 seventh-round choose in alternate for a 2025 sixth-round choose.
That commerce labored out for the Chiefs on Sunday night time.
