For Pete's Sake

‘Jeopardy!’ contestants whiffed on clue about Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) lifts wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (12) celebrate after he scored the winning touchdown in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) lifts wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (12) celebrate after he scored the winning touchdown in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. tljungblad@kcstar.com

It’s been less than two months since Chiefs fans watched “Tom and Jerry.”

I’m not talking about the iconic cartoon, of course. That was the name of the game-winning touchdown play the Chiefs ran in overtime of their 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

An offshoot of the “Corn Dog” play that helped the Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, “Tom and Jerry” saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes throw a game-winning pass to Mecole Hardman.

That play was the subject of a “Jeopardy!” answer on Monday’s episode of the popular game show.

Host Ken Jennings shared this answer: “Will it be ‘How soon they forget’ or ‘Always remembered?’ He caught the Super Bowl 58-winning pass for Kansas City.”

The question, as Chiefs fans know: “Who is Mecole Hardman?”

But it was a question not a single contestant knew, although one did hazard a guess: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Fox 4 anchor Harold Kuntz shared a clip of the baffled contestants on X.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that an NFL clue stumped the contestants, because one of the best moments in “Jeopardy!” history revolved around a football category.

The late Alex Trebek’s reaction was priceless as contestants struggled to come up with a single response in an entire football category. Many of these clues were painfully easy.

This story was originally published April 2, 2024 at 8:44 AM.

Pete Grathoff
The Kansas City Star
From covering the World Series to the World Cup, Pete Grathoff has done a little bit of everything since joining The Kansas City Star in 1997.
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