Getty Dre Greenlaw wraps up Mecole Hardman in Super Bowl 54 on February 2, 2020.
Did the San Francisco 49ers wake up to bulletin board material via HBO?
The Tuesday, August 15 edition of the critically acclaimed docuseries Hard Knocks certainly had a 49ers mention in a Super Bowl prediction. And of all people, it was a New York Jets wide receiver and renowned mentalist who helped blurt out that theory of the Niners heading to Las Vegas come February 2024.
What Happened & Who Made the Pick
The show season’s second episode begins with the Jets being greeted by a special guest to training camp: Oz Pearlman, a celebrity mentalist. The segment ended with this bold prediction: Jets 31, 49ers 21 in Super Bowl 58.
But how did the prediction come to mind?
Pearlman first calls on Jets newcomer Mecole Hardman for his act involving puzzles and a puzzle board. With a jigsaw puzzle scattered on a table Hardman is hovering over, Pearlman first asks Hardman to scrape off one side of the board then pick up two pieces of the puzzle and place them in each hand. Pearlman tells Hardman to chuck one puzzle to the back of the meeting room but keep the other.
Turns out the piece Hardman kept helped complete the Jets’ puzzle in the front. However, then comes to the next part…the prediction.
Hardman reveals to the mentalist that he was thinking of a 31-21 Jets win over the 49ers. Sure enough, Pearlman took the puzzle board and flipped it to the backside revealing the exact score.
The moment drew a raucous reaction from inside the room. The entire prediction clip can be watched below:
Was There Reaction From the 49ers’ Side?
Players from the 49ers were yet to chime in following that episode. However, there were fans who certainly took the opportunity to buy a Super Bowl ticket.
One fan admitted to getting carried away and made a big purchase after watching the episode.
“Got carried away watching hard knocks and booked my Super Bowl flight. @49ers taking it this year, and Allegiant will be just as red as it was on New Year’s Day earlier this year,” the 49ers fan said on Twitter.
@br_betting @bagelandlocks_ Got carried away watching hard knocks and booked my Super Bowl flight. @49ers taking it this year, and Allegiant will be just as red as it was on New Year’s Day earlier this year.
One fan, however, didn’t sound convinced about a Jets/49ers Super Bowl.
“Just catching up on hard knocks. This magician guy couldn’t be more wrong about the jets beating the 49ers. Let alone making it to the Super Bowl, Aaron Rodgers cannot beat the 49ers ever,” the fan said.
One fan, however, seems convinced that this Super Bowl will happen.
#HardKnocks i do agree the jets are playing the 49ers against the super bowl
Hardman Would Have Super Bowl Rematch if it Does Happen
Say Pearlman and Hardman end up being correct about their Super Bowl prediction, it won’t be the first time the veteran wideout has seen the 49ers on the big stage?
Hardman returned kicks and lined up as one of the WRs in Super Bowl 54 with the 49ers and his future head coach Robert Saleh on the other side. Hardman, then a rookie that season, took three kickoff returns for 58 yards and caught one pass for two yards in the 31-20 victory down in Miami.
Hardman comes to the Jets a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Chiefs. Now, he and the Ex-49ers defensive coordinator Saleh will aim to make the episode two prediction come true, as this time Saleh reunites with his old coaching boss Kyle Shanahan on the field.