Bills’ Josh Allen sails perfect pass to Mecole Hardman for tricky touchdown

Story by

Jaren Kawada, ClutchPoints

Sat, Jan 17, 2026 ·

2 min read

Bills’ Josh Allen sails perfect pass to Mecole Hardman for tricky touchdown appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Buffalo Bills are the first team to score a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the 2026 Divisional Round . In somewhat of a surprise development, Josh Allen found backup quarterback Mecole Hardman for the game’s first score.

Allen and Hardman connected on a 2nd-and-goal from Denver’s four-yard line on the Bills’ first possession of the game. Hardman’s pre-snap motion entirely fooled star cornerback Pat Surtain II , leaving the wideout wide open at the goal line .

The catch was Hardman’s first of the entire season. He only appeared in two games in the regular season, primarily as a kick and punt returner.

The score put the Bills up 7-3 after the Broncos scored a field goal on their opening possession. Each team would go on to score once more before Denver closed out the half on a 10-0 run to enter halftime with a 20-10 lead.

While Hardman has not been a part of the Bills’ rotation all year, he was thrust into a larger role for the Divisional Round. Buffalo lost starting receiver Joshua Palmer at the end of the regular season before losing backups Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers in its Wild Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars .

Before Sunday, Hardman had only played 13 snaps all year, and just four on offense. He was not even on the Bills’ active roster in the Wild Card round.

However, as the CBS broadcast pointed out, he is known for being a playoff hero. Hardman scored the game-winning touchdown for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII on a similar play in overtime.