Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. caught a pass from Patrick Mahomes in overtime on Sunday night to beat the San Francisco 49ers and claim the Super Bowl championship. Except he had no idea until somebody told him.
After the game, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes revealed that Mecole Hardman Jr. was not familiar enough with the NFL’s overtime rules to understand that he had won the game for the team with his touchdown reception in overtime.
“Can I tell a quick funny story? I threw a touchdown to this dude to end the game, and he had no idea,” Mahomes said, with his arm around Hardman, according to Pro Football Talk. “I said, ‘Dude, we just won the Super Bowl.’ He had no idea. He didn’t even celebrate at the beginning.”
The NFL’s new postseason overtime rules allow both teams to have a possession in overtime. But since the Niners had to settle for a field goal on their possession, the Chiefs could win the game with a touchdown on their possession.
Ultimately, that’s exactly what happened with Hardman catching the pass from Mahomes, and everyone seemed to know that except him. But he found out soon enough and joined the celebration.
