Wide receiver Mecole Hardman took the field for the second time with his Kansas City teammates for the second time Sunday since his return to the Chiefs after being traded from the New York Jets on October 18. Following an ugly outing against the Denver Broncos, losing 24-9, the fifth-year veteran takes full responsibility for his team’s second loss of the season and first to Denver since 2015.
Hardman spoke with the media after the game and blamed himself for his club losing, referencing a miscue on special teams that currently didn’t help the situation his team was already in, being down 14-9 with 11:29 to go in the fourth quarter. After Kansas City’s defense stopped Denver at their 37-yard line, the Broncos punted the ball deep inside the ten, and Hardman was there to field it at the five.
However, instead of looking the ball in, Hardman took his eyes off and let the ball side through his arms, causing a fumble at the worst possible time. Linebacker Drew Sanders picked up the ball at the ten-yard line, and the Broncos scored two plays later, extending their lead by two scores.
“I got greedy; I got selfish,” Hardman reflected. “Trying to make a play down there. [I] should have been a fair catch or let the ball bounce. That’s [a] problem, like the reason that we probably lost the game. I just let that thing go or fair catch it and secure the catch. I believe we were still down [by] five,” he explained.
“That’s probably the one [play] that cost the game for us,” he continued. “I’ll probably take responsibility for that one. I definitely take responsibility actually for losing that game. Because you never know, [I] let that ball go, I catch it at the five-[yard-line] or wherever it was, and we go down to score, and that’s it. So I’ve just got to be more smart.”
Looking at the big picture, Hardman muffing the punt wasn’t the sole reason the Chiefs lost on Sunday, but it definitely didn’t help falling behind 21-9. Kansas City got two more possessions after Hardman’s turnover, but both ended with the Chiefs’ offense coming up empty-handed. The first one ended with Kansas City turning the ball over on downs after 12 plays and traveling 49 yards. The second and final drive ended with Mahomes throwing his second interception of the game.
Hardman’s had a reputation for muffing punts in the past, which led to his special teams snaps dwindling towards the end of his first stint with the Chiefs before he chose to sign with the Jets in free agency last spring. Right now, it’s unclear if special teams coach Dave Toub will continue to work with Hardman and his fundamentals or if he’ll look to someone else on the roster to field kicks.
Kansas City also has a significant issue in the wide receiver room, and many outside the Chiefs organization are calling for general manager Brett Veach to make a move for a wide receiver before the Trade Deadline. While that would be a wise move, it appears Veach is confident the core the Chiefs have will eventually figure things out in time for the team’s annual postseason run.
