Mecole Hardman made a brutal mistake that resulted in a safety during the second quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs preseason matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
Playing as a returner under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, Hardman let the ball bounce instead of making a routine catch. When he and a teammate realized that the ball was in play, Hardman took a knee in the end zone and touched the ball, which hadn’t crossed the goal line.
Initially, referees called the play a touchback, but upon further review after a protest by Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, assessed that the sequence resulted in a safety.
Take a look at the bizarre play below, which was posted by user @LaurieFitzptrck on Twitter:
Huge controversy over new kickoff rules.
Is this a touchback or a safety? pic.twitter.com/kh8cUVEnCl— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 11, 2024
Kansas City’s coaches and special teams players will need to review the NFL’s new kickoff rules when they get back to training camp practices in St. Joseph this week.