The Kansas City Chiefs prevailed in an overtime thriller in Super Bowl 58 against the San Francisco 49ers, and it was Mecole Hardman who pushed the score to its final tally of 25-22 with a three-yard touchdown reception. Hardman's initial celebration was pretty tame, though, with the reason for that later being explained by Patrick Mahomes.
While this was the second Super Bowl contest in NFL history to go to overtime, it was the first postseason game to feature the league's new overtime rules. Having never seen them in action before, some players, particularly on the 49ers, admitted to having no idea what the rules were. And after he scored his huge touchdown, Mahomes said that Hardman had no idea that he just won the Super Bowl for the Chiefs.
"I said, 'Dude, we just won the Super Bowl.' He had no idea. He didn't even celebrate at the beginning."
Patrick Mahomes on Mecole Hardman not knowing the overtime rule in the playoffs and having to remind him that the Chiefs won 😂pic.twitter.com/PMeYvKqvIm https://t.co/ZMAIs5jqhL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 12, 2024
Hardman admitted after he scored that he blacked out and had no idea what was going on, which makes sense considering how he just produced the biggest play of his life seconds earlier. However, he may have thought that San Francisco got the ball back due to the new overtime rules, which led to his initially puzzling reaction.
Patrick Mahomes quickly ran over and let him know that he just won his team the Super Bowl, and after that, the celebration was on. But it's pretty humorous to find out that the new overtime rules caused so much confusion among players that Hardman had no idea his score was the game-winner. But now that he knows, it's certainly a moment he will never forget.
Follow Us
Subscribe