Mecole Hardman didn't realize his overtime TD catch gave Chiefs the win: 'Dude, we just won the Super Bowl'

Jacob Camenker

Mecole Hardman didn't realize his overtime TD catch gave Chiefs the win: 'Dude, we just won the Super Bowl' image

Mecole Hardman had little reaction to his 3-yard touchdown catch at the end of overtime in the Chiefs vs. 49ers Super Bowl.

There was a good reason for his muted celebration. Hardman had no idea that his catch wrapped up a 25-22 Kansas City Super Bowl win.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes revealed that fact on CBS' Super Bowl postgame show. He told the CBS panel that he had a "funny story" while they had Hardman on for a postgame interview.

"I threw a touchdown to this dude at the end of the game, and he looked at me and he had no idea," Mahomes said. "I said, 'Dude, we just won the Super Bowl.'"

Hardman then detailed that he "blacked out" after securing the game-winning score and needed Mahomes to explain to him what the score meant.

"He had no idea," Mahomes said. "He didn't even celebrate at the beginning. I'm like, 'What are we doing?'"

MORE SUPER BOWL 58:
Winners & losers | Breaking down final drive | 'Purdy' good not enough to beat Mahomes

New NFL overtime rules led to confusion

In fairness to Hardman, the Super Bowl hasn't often gone to overtime, and the NFL has changed its postseason overtime rules in recent seasons. So, many fans watching were unclear whether Hardman's score had ended the game or if the final three seconds of overtime had to be played for the game to be complete.

However, the game ended on Hardman's touchdown catch because the 49ers already possessed the ball. They settled for a field goal after a 13-play, 66-yard drive while the Chiefs countered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Kansas City leading.

That clinched the Chiefs their second consecutive Super Bowl win and third Super Bowl victory in the last five years.

Hardman's game-winning catch marked an end to a strong evening for the fifth-year receiver, who caught three passes for 57 yards and the game-winning score. And while he may not have had an over-the-top reaction to his final play, he is planning to make up for lost time with the Lombardi Trophy secure.

"It's time to celebrate now," Hardman said.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.