The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints last Monday night but had a brief scare due to a highlight play from a former member of their Super Bowl teams.
Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the endzone before running the ball back 36 yards in the second half, stalling a drive. According to NFL metrics, Saunders’ return on the pick saw him hit a top speed of 15.79 mph, the third-fastest speed by a ball carrier over 320 pounds since 2016.
Saunders played for the Chiefs from 2019 to 2022, winning two Super Bowls on the defensive line alongside his good friend Chris Jones. During his post-game press conference, Mahomes shouted out his former teammates’ memorable moment.
“Yeah, we talked. He’s (Saunders)– I said if it had to be one person, the fact that it was Khalen was probably the best person in the NFL that could’ve got an interception off of me.” said Mahomes “(He’s) just such a good guy, man, (he’s) one of the best teammates that I’ve ever had. I mean, (he) truly is. (It’s) just a smile on his face every single day, and (he) really just loved – not only football – but the part of the locker room, which I think is really cool. So, I’m super happy for him that he had a good game and that he’s done a good job of having his career go on.”
Along with several Saints players, Saunders won titles with the Chiefs, making Monday’s game a semi-reunion that ended with a Kansas City victory.