Kansas City Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman tells CNN he ‘blacked out’ after scoring the Super Bowl-winning touchdown
Mecole Hardman after catching the game-winning touchdown in overtime to defeat the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII.
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Kansas City Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman says he “blacked out” after scoring the game-winning touchdown in a thrilling Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
The wide receiver caught a pass delivered by Patrick Mahomes in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22, after a rollercoaster spectacle on Sunday.
Hardman’s touchdown sparked frenzied scenes both in the stadium and around the world, but the wide receive says the seismic moment didn’t immediately dawn on him.
“When I blacked out, I didn’t know what was going on until [Mahomes] came up running and was like, ‘You’re a champion! We just won!,’” Hardman told CNN This Morning on Monday.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, you’re right, we did.’ And we started celebrating after that. But I definitely blacked out, for sure.”
Quarterback Mahomes masterminded the superb 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in overtime, which culminated in a three-yard pass to Hardman who, after a brief pause, celebrated with his ecstatic teammates.
“Just overwhelmed with emotions,” Hardman added, when asked what winning the Super Bowl felt like.
Kelce inspiration
The Kansas City Chiefs are now back-to-back NFL champions, accomplishing something that had not been done in 19 years. The New England Patriots last accomplished the feat in 2003-04 and 2004-05.
But such a feat looked at risk on Sunday, with the Chiefs relying on some clutch plays to keep their Super Bowl dreams alive.
When explaining what it was like in the locker room when his team were trailing 10-3 at halftime, Hardman told CNN that one particular player stepped up.
“Travis [Kelce] said everything, honestly,” Hardman said. “He definitely had a good little speech to get everybody going, put the fuel to the fire.
“We came out in that second half like a totally different team.”
Kelce, and his relationship with Taylor Swift, played a huge part in the hype around this year’s Super Bowl.
The famous couple shared a kiss on the field amid the celebrations, after Swift was seen overcome with joy in the stands after Hardman had scored the game-winning touchdown.
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CNN’s Jill Martin and Ben Morse contributed reporting.
