“I passed out,” I said. kansas city chiefs Receiver Mecole Hardman scored the winning touchdown in overtime of the Super Bowl. And judging by how the season has gone, Hardman must still be dreaming.
A second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2019, Hardman’s career didn’t develop as much as either he or the team had hoped, leading to him signing with the Chiefs. new york jets Give Aaron Rodgers a deep piece in free agency. Hardman was so buried on the depth chart that the Jets sent him back to the Chiefs in October for a sixth- and seventh-round pick after he caught just one pass for six yards.
Hardman caught just eight passes back in Kansas City before the Chiefs had to absorb snaps with quarterback Blaine Gabbert in a meaningless final game of the season, but 77 of his 124 yards this year came from there.
Andy Reid called for over 40 snaps in the first two games of the playoffs, but Hardman finished with 0 total yards (5 yards receiving, -5 yards rushing) and fumbled twice in the divisional round against the Bills. . His career seemed to be over, and although he played briefly in the AFC Championship, Hardman would have his biggest moment in the biggest game.
First, Hardman caught a 52-yard pass from Mahomes in the second quarter that would have given the Chiefs the tie or lead, but Isaiah Pacheco fumbled on the next play.
The 58.2 air yards was the third-longest complete game of Mahomes’ entire career.
Then, in the third quarter, a seemingly insignificant 2-yard reception by Hardman set up Harrison Butker for a 57-yard field goal, the longest in Super Bowl history.
And, of course, Hardman executed the play the Chiefs call “Tom and Jerry” to perfection, winning the Super Bowl and the third championship ring of his career. Mahomes said Hardman was in shock at the time. The quarterback had to tell him, “We just won the Super Bowl.” before he realized it.
I haven’t slept yet, the adrenaline is still pumping.
— Mecole Hardman Jr. (@MecoleHardman4) February 12, 2024
After the game, Hardman was probably still in disbelief when he learned he was the only Chiefs player besides Mahomes and Travis Kelce to play in the Super Bowl.
From being buried on the Jets’ depth chart behind receivers like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb to being interviewed by Jim Nantz next to Andy Reid, Mahomes and Kelce. What an unexpected career turn for any player.
But he’s not the first to be a shock hero at the Super Bowl. It’s just the latest thing.
These are some of the people who came before him, arranged in reverse chronological order.
Super Bowl LVII – WR/PR Kadarius Toney
If Kadarius Toney had lived up to the expectations of being the 20th overall pick in the 2021 draft, we wouldn’t be talking about Laci Rice and Hardman as much as we do.selected by new york giants After being traded down to the Bears who wanted Justin Fields, Toney was arguably the most explosive and electrifying receiver in that class. However, his career with the Giants, like most of his career with the Chiefs, has been marred by injuries, inconsistency, lack of discipline, and lack of touted explosiveness.
Until it became the biggest moment of his life.
In 2022, when Kansas City needed a boost following the Tyreek Hill trade, New York traded Toney to the Chiefs for a third and sixth player. He didn’t have much in the regular season, playing just 109 snaps in seven games, but his open-field running skills will become evident at the right time. Leading the Eagles 27-21 in the fourth quarter, Toney caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to give Kansas City a 28-27 lead with 12:04 remaining.
That alone could make Tony an unlikely hero. It didn’t end there.
After the Chiefs defense forced a three-and-out, Philadelphia decided to punt, hoping to pin Kansas City deep in its own territory and stay in the ball game. However, a punt that went just 38 yards was returned 65 yards by Toney, and Skye Moore made a 4-yard touchdown reception to extend the lead to 35-27.
In a way, Toney contributed two touchdowns in three minutes of Super Bowl play.
He’s since overshadowed that moment by lining up incorrectly to give the Chiefs a win over the Bills, but don’t let people forget his return.
Super Bowl LVI – TE Brycen Hopkins, Rams
Not all amazing heroes are created equal, and Hopkins’ impact is not the same as all of them, but his presence in the Super Bowl was the shocking result of a long list of injuries. was.
Hopkins, a 2020 fourth-round pick, hasn’t become the successor to Tyler Higbee that Sean McVay expected. He caught zero passes as a rookie, but in 2021 he caught one pass for nine yards. He played in only 10 games in two years, but that was because he was usually a healthy scratch. But then Higbee was eliminated from the NFC Championship and denied a spot in the Super Bowl, forcing Hopkins to sit out. Not only that, but L.A. had already lost several receivers, including Robert Woods in the regular season and Odell Beckham Jr. in the first half of the Super Bowl.
All Hopkins did was catch four passes for 47 yards, including two first downs when the Rams had a third down, a 16-yard catch on a first-and-10, and a 9-yard catch on another first-and-10. Ta. In the Super Bowl, Hopkins increased his career catches from one to five.
He then returned to obscurity and has rarely been seen since.
Super Bowl LV – WR Antonio Brown, Bucs
Of course, Brown is an unusual selection on this list as he has a Hall of Fame football history, but his presence with the Bucs in 2020 and helping them beat Mahomes in the Super Bowl was completely unexpected. . Brown was traded to the Raiders in 2019, but he never played for the Raiders and barely played for the Patriots after that. He rejoined Tom Brady’s team in 2020 and scored four touchdowns in the second half of the regular season, but his biggest moment came with 0:06 left in the first half of the Super Bowl.
Brown caught a 1-yard touchdown to extend Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-6, the backbreaker that kept KC’s hopes alive.
Special mention to Leonard Fournette, who gained 135 yards and a touchdown.
Super Bowl LIV – RB Damien Williams, Chiefs
I would like to break the course and give the defender a point, but I can’t do that right now. Williams has added value as a receiver and appeared in the Super Bowl as a career backup who rushed for 1,231 yards in six years. Both skills were on display in the Super Bowl.
Leading 20-17 with less than 3:00 remaining, Williams caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to give Kansas City the lead. After the Chiefs defense forced a turnover on downs, Williams had two carries on the next two plays, the latter scoring a 38-yard touchdown, securing Mahomes and Reid’s first Super Bowl win.
Williams has since played for three teams over the past three seasons, scoring a total of three touchdowns.
Super Bowl LIII – C David Andrews, Patriots
It’s hard to pick a hero in a game this bad, so why not give us the most unlikely name? They had the momentum to take an early lead as they forced a fumble that could have set them up in England territory. It was fourth-year center Andrews who jumped on the ball to avert an early crisis. The final score was 13-3, but that fumble recovery may have made the difference.
Oh, and he plays good center too.
Super Bowl LII – QB Nick Foles, Eagles
It would be strange to give it to someone else. Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns, and until Sunday’s Jauan Jennings, was the only player in Super Bowl history to throw for a touchdown in the championship game. Before and since, he was almost exclusively a reserve.
Super Bowl LI – Patriots defensive line
Not much was expected of New England’s defensive line at the time, except for the semi-famous Tom Brady’s role in the 28-3 comeback. Not only should the defense theoretically be tired in the fourth quarter of a Super Bowl, but no player on the defense had more than seven sacks in the regular season, and only 34 total for the season. .
During the comeback, they bullied the Falcons’ offensive line one after another.
Trey Flowers called a holding penalty on Jake Matthews late in the third quarter, setting up a three-and-out. On the next drive, Dont’a Hightower forced a sack fumble on Matt Ryan that was recovered by Alan Branch. On Atlanta’s next drive, they were set up at the Patriots 23 and within range of a big field goal try that would have made it 31-20, but Flowers sacked Ryan for a 12-yard loss. Chris Long, who was still in field goal range, forced Matthews to stop, and the Falcons had no choice but to punt for a 28-20 lead with 3:38 left.
of Patriots said before the game that Matthews was “close.” And he proved it in key moments.
The game went into overtime, but the Falcons never saw the ball. Under the new playoff extension rules, they would, but unfortunately that’s all she wrote, and on top of that, it turned out that Atlanta could no longer match the Patriots’ defense.
Super Bowl 50 – DT Malik Jackson, Broncos
Even with Peyton Manning, perhaps no Super Bowl team of this century has had as much to overcome as a quarterback than 2015. denver broncos. Manning couldn’t pass the ball and was slow. And the Broncos could only start him in the biggest game of the year with Brock Osweiler, one of the worst backups in the NFL. In the Super Bowl, Manning threw for 141 yards, two fumbles, an interception, and zero touchdowns.
Malik Jackson even scored a touchdown, which was the main reason Manning ended up winning his second Super Bowl.
The late-blooming former fifth-round pick didn’t become a starter until his fourth season in 2015. Jackson had a good season and was surrounded by insane talent like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, who combined for 4.5 sacks for Newton in the Super Bowl. On Carolina’s second possession of the game, Miller strip-sacked Newton on fourth and Jackson made a touchdown recovery to give the Broncos an early 10-0 lead.
As long as Carolina had recovered, it was anyone’s game. The Broncos defense will insist there is no comeback.
Jackson signed a big free agent contract with the Jaguars after the season and was a Pro Bowler in 2017, but nothing could match his fumble recovery in the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 49 – CB Malcolm Butler, Patriots
An undrafted free agent rookie who played college ball at Alcorn State Hinds Community College, West At Alabama, Butler first had to be a surprising player to make the 53-man roster out of training camp, but then endured a roller coaster season in which he was either inactive or played no defensive snaps in nine games. I had to spend .
Butler didn’t play defense again in the Patriots’ divisional round game, then played 15 snaps in the AFC Championship win over the Colts.
Even in the Super Bowl, Butler only played 18 total snaps, but it was his last, guaranteeing Tom Brady and Bill Belichick their first Super Bowl win in a decade. If it wasn’t for Butler, we wouldn’t call Brady “.”Seven-time” Super Bowl winner.
In the most famous play in Super Bowl history, facing 1-to-2nd-and-goal, Butler split between Russell Wilson and little-used receiver Ricardo Lockett (stopped). he From the moment of Mecole) intercept the pass and finish. seahawks Aiming for consecutive victories.
But perhaps as moving as the play was the career Butler turned it into. Confident that he could be an NFL starter, Butler made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and was named second-team All-Pro in 2016. Capitalizing on that success, he signed a five-year, $61 million contract with the Titans in 2018. This made Butler’s Super Bowl interception essentially a $30 million play, the amount Tennessee guaranteed.
Can Mecole use this to rebound for his career next season?
Super Bowl 48 – LB Malcolm Smith, Seahawks
Smith, a 2011 seventh-round pick who played under Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California, got a pick-six from Peyton Manning to extend Seattle’s lead to 22-0, then lost a fumble in the third quarter. He recovered and ended up scoring a goal. The last two tackles of the game were good. The Super Bowl MVP started a total of 16 games for the Seahawks over four years, then played six more seasons with five different teams.
