KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is famous for giving his players a second chance.
Mecole Hardman made the most of his second chance in Sunday night’s AFC Championship Game.
It was Hardman’s muffed punt that allowed the Buffalo Bills an easy touchdown to put the Chiefs into an early hole.
In an exclusive interview with 41 Action News sports reporter Aaron Ladd, Hardman said he knew he had to “make something shake” after the miscue.
EXCLUSIVE: #Chiefs Mecole Hardman tells me after his early game mistake, he had to 'make something shake.' @41actionnews
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) January 25, 2021
Two years, two Super bowl appearances for the Jet. pic.twitter.com/1iuyEnCawV
With the belief of Reid and the coaching staff, Hardman was given just that opportunity.
Down 9-0 in the second quarter, Hardman took a 3-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes into the end zone to put the Chiefs on the board.
On the first play of the next Chiefs drive, Mahomes connected with Hardman again, this time for a 50-yard strike. The completion put the Chiefs into position for their second touchdown of the game.
“We believe in each other,” Mahomes said of his relationship with the rest of the team, including Hardman.