KANSAS CITY, Mo. — He had 97 receiving yards in a game in 2019. Went for 96 once in 2020.
But Sunday was a first for Mecole Hardman.
"My first time breaking 100," Hardman said after the Chiefs' 28-24 win over the Denver Broncos.
It was eight catches for 103 yards to be specific. The biggest chunk of that came on the Chiefs' first play of the final drive that iced the game away.
Patrick Mahomes dumped it off to Hardman, who then sprinted 44 yards down the field deep into Broncos territory.
"We had an opening last time on it," Hardman said. "So we knew we could come back to it and get a big gain out of it. Overall, that definitely put us in good position to win the game."
The Chiefs did win and finished the 2021 regular season at 12-5.
"Up and down," Hardman said when asked to describe this season so far. "We won our division. Now we've just got to see what happens tomorrow."
That's exactly what the Chiefs will be doing on Sunday — game-watching. A number of Week 18 games can decide Kansas City's fate between a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, most directly the Titans vs. Texans game at noon Sunday.
If the Titans win, the Chiefs are the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If the Texans win, the Chiefs get the No. 1 seed, a bye and home-field advantage throughout.
Hardman says he'll be watching.
"Somebody has got to have a get-together," Hardman said. "I don't know if it's Pat, Trav or whoever it is. But we'll have a little get-together and see who it is."
If the Chiefs are the No. 2 seed, the team could play any one of seven teams at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in WildCard Weekend.
