Mecole Hardman’s struggles on punt returns are well documented, even if he has made some incredible plays for the Kansas City Chiefs on punt returns. The team’s Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos was defined by miscues in every phase of the game, but Hardman’s muffed punt late in the game was one of the more egregious mistakes that led to the bad defeat.
Hardman spoke to the media after the contest and was contrite in his response to a question about the mistake that cost Kansas City a chance to keep the game close. In his comments, he left no doubt that he only has himself to blame for the special teams turnover.
“I got greedy; I got selfish,” He explained. “Trying to make a play down there. Should have been a fair catch or let the ball bounce. That’s [a] problem, like the reason that we probably lost the game. I just let that thing go or fair catch it and secure the catch. I believe we were still down eight—five.
“That’s probably the one [play] that cost the game for us. I’ll probably take responsibility for that one. I definitely take responsibility actually for losing that game. Because you never know,[I] let that ball go, I catch it at the five-[yard-line] or wherever it was, and we go down to score and that’s it. So I’ve just got to be more smart.”
Kansas City has been on the lookout for a contributor who can help buoy the punt return unit and seemed to have thought that Hardman was ready to jump back into the fray after the Chiefs acquired him via trade earlier in October.
Now, the team may have to reconsider their approach on special teams. General manager Brett Veach would be wise to assess his options on the trade market to find a player whom Kansas City can rely on in key situations on punt returns.
