Mecole Hardman hauls in game-winner for Chiefs in Super Bowl classic
Former Georgia wide receiver Mecole Hardman was on the winning end of his third career Super Bowl and finished it off in incredible fashion.
In the second-ever Super Bowl to go to overtime, Hardman hauled in the game-winning score from 3 yards out to put the Kansas City Chiefs on top 25-22 over the San Francisco 49ers. Previous Bulldogs to score touchdowns in the Super Bowl include Fran Tarkenton, Terrell Davis, Hines Ward and Sony Michel. Hardman joins that short list.
“It feels great. I blacked out when I caught the ball,” Hardman said on the stage postgame as he was handed the Lombardi Trophy.
Hardman caught three passes on the night totaling 57 yards and the touchdown. He is joined by Malik Herring on the roster for the Chiefs. Both were part of the team last season while Hardman got his first ring back in 2020 with another win over the 49ers.
Hardman has spent time in all final of his NFL season with the Chiefs, briefly being a member of the New York Jets this year as well. He made four appearances after signing with the team this offseason before being traded back to Kansas City early in the year. He entered the Super Bowl having caught 16 passes for 123 yards in 2023. Meanwhile, Herring was responsible for 13 total tackles including a trio in the playoffs with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble on the season. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chiefs in 2021 after suffering a torn ACL in the pre-draft process and has spent the entirety of his career in Kansas City.
Super Bowl Bulldogs
Hardman wasn’t the only former Georgia player to make an impact. In total, five Bulldogs suited up in Las Vegas with Chris Conley catching a pass for 18 yards while also having a presence on special teams for the 49ers. Charlie Woerner was also on the field throughout the game as a key piece to the San Francisco run blocking. Robert Beal represented the other Bulldog in the Super Bowl this season – giving Georgia the second-most former players of any college in the big game behind Oklahoma by one.
Georgia holds the longest active streak – tied with LSU – for most consecutive Super Bowls with a former player suiting up in 23 straight. The streak started in 2002 when Patrick Pass and Jermaine Wiggins made an appearance with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, winning 20-17 over the St. Louis Rams in New Orleans for the first title of the Patriots dynasty.
As for the Chiefs and what this means for them, it’s a second straight Super Bowl trophy headed home to Kansas City coming on the heels of their victory last year over the Philadelphia Eagles. Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and company will look to become the first-ever winner of three straight, ending the NFL’s longest streak without back-to-back winners as they became the first since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004.
