DENVER — Even Buffalo Bills fans might not have realized who was catching their team’s first touchdown pass of the divisional round. But they recognized the name once they heard it.
Mecole Hardman is used to big stages. He caught a walk-off touchdown in the Super Bowl, but that was with the Kansas City Chiefs two seasons ago. If you didn’t know where he was playing currently that’s OK; Hardman hadn’t caught a pass for the Bills all season, appearing in only two games and spending most of the past few months either out of the NFL or on the Bills’ practice squad or injured reserve.
He reemerged at the right time. At the end of Buffalo’s first drive, Hardman was wide open for a 4-yard touchdown from Josh Allen.
Hardman was playing due to extreme injury issues in Buffalo’s receiving corps. Tyrell Shavers and Gabe Davis suffered torn ACLs in the wild-card round. The Bills were perilously thin at receiver but had Hardman on the practice squad. Hardman was released by the Packers twice earlier this season, once at the end of preseason and then again off their practice squad in September. He was signed to the Bills’ practice squad in early November, and that paid off Saturday. Hardman had been on injured reserve for a while with Buffalo and had just one target from Allen before his number was called in a big spot against the Broncos.
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If the play looked familiar, it was. It was almost exactly the same “Corn Dog” play the Chiefs ran to Hardman to win Super Bowl LVIII in overtime two years ago, as called out by CBS color commentator Tony Romo. The Bills sold the route to the left before coming back to Hardman on the right, and Josh Allen took the snap from under center, but otherwise it was remarkably similar to Hardman’s historic play against the 49ers, motioning in and then reversing direction and flaring out to the flat.
Hardman is a recognizable name to many football fans after that championship-winning touchdown. And so was the play that produced his first touchdown with the Bills.