KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Saints defensive deal with Khalen Saunders in all probability left pop celebrity Taylor Swift and his former workforce with some combined emotions after a two-play collection in opposition to the Chiefs in his return to Arrowhead Stadium on Monday evening.
First, the massive defensive deal with stopped Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce on an inside go play after they had first-and-goal on the New Orleans 2. Then, on the very subsequent play, Saunders watched Patrick Mahomes’ go bounce off JuJu Smith-Schuster’s fingers and right into his waiting arms for his first profession interception, which he returned on a 37-yard rumble as his personal sideline went wild.
They had been two of the most important highlights for the Saints in a 26-13 loss to the defending Tremendous Bowl champions.
“Coming from enjoying right here for 4 years, and all of the respect on the planet for Patrick, you bought to make the most of the errors they make. And so simply to be on the opposite finish of the error that was made, man, that was particular,” Saunders mentioned.
“Want we might’ve come out with a win,” he added, “however you realize, I believe that we realized so much about our workforce.”
So how did Swift issue into the whole lot?
For one factor, she has been relationship Kelce for greater than a 12 months, and was again at Arrowhead Stadium to see him play after lacking the Chiefs’ final two video games on the highway. For an additional, one in every of her backup dancers occurs to be Saunders’ brother, Kameron.
The 2-play sequence will certainly get up the conspiracy theorists who suppose the NFL is rigged, too. The ESPN telecast had simply proven an image of Kameron Saunders with Swift and Kelce throughout a visit to London, the place the Chiefs tight finish made a cameo in one in every of her performances at Wembley Stadium on her Eras Tour over this summer time.
Kameron Saunders has additionally joined Swift in a collection to see video games at Arrowhead Stadium previously.
The football-playing Saunders brother was a third-round draft choose of the Chiefs in 2019, and he received a pair of Tremendous Bowl rings over his first 4 seasons with them. However he signed with New Orleans as a free agent a few years in the past, and he returned to Arrowhead Stadium for the primary time to face his former workforce in entrance of Swift and a boisterous Chiefs crowd.
It was a few of that inside information that will have helped him on Kelce’s reception.
“I knew it was coming. I do know that little ‘tight finish flip,’” Saunders mentioned. “Man, I instructed you, there’s sure performs they only can’t run whereas I’m within the sport. And numerous them are screens and the tight finish flip. I used to be on the scout workforce for a very long time. I’ve been going in opposition to Trav and Pat for a very long time. I do know all of the little tips and stuff like that.”
As for his return abilities on the interception … nicely, the 324-pound deal with received’t be mistaken for a sprinter any time quickly.
“I used to be making an attempt to get it dwelling, man. Take it dwelling. Them operating again days flashed in my head,” Saunders mentioned, “and I used to be like, ‘That’s 101 (yards). That’s a little bit methods to go.’ However I used to be making an attempt to present us some actual subject place.”
The Saints wound up turning the turnover right into a landing, closing inside 16-13 early within the fourth quarter. However the Chiefs answered with a landing of their very own earlier than placing the sport away with a late subject objective.
“We received to proceed going ahead,” Saunders mentioned. “This doesn’t do something however assure that we received’t be any higher than 14-3 and I imagine that. I’ve been on groups that misplaced in Week 10 and didn’t lose no extra. So stuff like that’s at all times encouraging.”
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