Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman takes blame for Broncos loss after punt fumble. ‘I got greedy’
Kansas City Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman says if you want to blame anyone for Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos, it should be him.
Hardman was candid with reporters while speaking in front of his locker following the 24-9 defeat, saying he believed his muffed punt early in the fourth quarter was the difference in the game.
“I got greedy, man. I got selfish, trying to make a play down there,” Hardman said. “It should have been either a fair catch or let the ball bounce. That’s probably the reason we probably lost the game.”
The Chiefs were trailing 14-9 when the Broncos attempted to punt it to the Chiefs with 11:24 left in the fourth quarter. Hardman drifted back to the Chiefs’ 5-yard line to try to return the Riley Dixon kick, but it slipped between his arms and was recovered by the Broncos’ Drew Sanders.
“That’s probably the one that kind of cost the game for us. So I probably take responsibility for that one — definitely take responsibility actually for losing that game,” Hardman said. “Because you know, let that ball go or I catch it the 5, wherever it was, and we go down and score, and that’s it. So I’ve just gotta be just be more smart, be careful and take care of the ball.”
Two plays later, Courtland Sutton caught a six-yard touchdown pass, pushing Denver’s lead to 21-9 and effectively ending the game.
Hardman said the team has rules for when and when not to catch punts inside the 10, but in the end, he wanted to try to rally his teammates.
“Things wasn’t going — no energy, no spark yet. We were just trying to find our rhythm and just trying to be the guy to try to like, give us some energy or spark right there,” Hardman said. “But just gotta know where I’m at on the field. Ball is slick, dropped it, went right through my hands. So just got to be better.”
Other Chiefs shared the blame for the team’s loss.
When asked about Hardman’s fumble, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “It’s not just Mecole. We all had a piece of this thing.”
Chiefs receiver Justin Watson also said Hardman making an assertive error was better than the alternative.
“Something like that I think you can always live with. An aggressive mistake is a good thing. You want to stay aggressive always,” Watson said. “I know Mecole’s gonna be hard on himself, but that’s the mindset we’ve all gotta have: Being aggressive, wanting to make a play, wanting to be that guy.”
Hardman, whom the Chiefs acquired in a trade with the New York Jets eleven days earlier, gave his team a much-needed boost last week with a 50-yard punt return in a home win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
After his week’s fumble, however, he immediately tapped his chest while motioning to teammates as he returned to the sideline.
The gesture was similar to what he shared after the game.
“That’s all on me, man,” Hardman said. “If I never dropped that, you never know. We probably win that game.
“That’s a free seven points for them. So that’s definitely all on me right there.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2023 at 9:09 PM.
