Tag: Khalen Saunders

Super Bowl LVII’s Secret Superstars

Who are the players capable of playing their best in the biggest games of their lives? Here are the Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVII.

There are players in just about every Super Bowl who, quite unexpectedly, save their greatest performances for the biggest games of their lives. Packers receiver Max McGee tearing up the Chiefs’ esteemed secondary for seven catches, 138 yards, and two touchdowns in Super Bowl I. Jets running back Matt Snell doing what nobody else could do in Super Bowl III, and tearing through the Colts’ defensive line for 30 carries, 138 yards, and a touchdown. Raiders linebacker Rob Martin picking off three Ron Jaworski passes in Super Bowl XV. Doug Williams resuscitating his career and becoming the first Black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, win a Super Bowl, and become Super Bowl MVP in one fell swoop in Super Bowl XXII against the Broncos. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles helping his team win its first Super Bowl in LII.

Who could be the Secret Superstar of Super Bowl LVII? There are several candidates who, based on their in-season exploits, might be perfectly primed to take that all-important leap.

Here are the Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVII.

Chiefs DT Khalen Saunders’ impression of Patrick Mahomes was hilariously spot-on

Okay, that’s scarily accurate.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders absolutely nailed his impression of his quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

During Monday night’s Super Bowl 57 media availability, Saunders gave a pool of reporters what he thought was his best Mahomes impersonation.

Sauders chose to mimic Mahomes’ signature hand motion he makes as he walks back from the sideline once he hears what the play is going to be.

It’s one of those quirks that you might not think about first when you think of impersonating Mahomes, but Saunders knows him much better than most of us do.

His homage to his quarterback’s pre-huddle mannerism was just aces.

Alright, that’s hilarious and incredibly accurate!

Hats off to Saunders for his stellar impression, one that we’re going to be thinking about well after the Super Bowl is over.

If Mahomes does this hand motion after he hears what the offensive play call is going to be, we’re going to be thinking of Saunders.

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Chiefs players react to Tom Brady’s retirement. . . again

Several #Chiefs players took to Twitter to react to Tom Brady’s latest retirement announcement.

A year to the day that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady announced his first retirement, he’s now announced that he’s retiring and in his words, “for good.” Brady is set to retire after 23 seasons of NFL play, spending the past three seasons in Tampa and two decades with the New England Patriots. He’s the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history, walking away from the game with 251 regular season wins, 35 playoff wins, seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs and three league MVPs.

Several Kansas City Chiefs players took to Twitter to react to the news of Brady’s latest retirement, showering the legendary quarterback with praise. Check it out:

A big, unflagged hit on Trevor Lawrence had NFL fans totally confused about roughing the passer rules

Make up your minds,refs!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Another NFL playoff game, another opportunity for football fans to become completely befuddled by what exactly constitutes as roughing the passer.

During Saturday’s AFC divisional round matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Kansas City Chiefs, a handful of calls/no calls on roughing the passer confounded and frustrated those who just want some gosh darn consistency on one of the game’s most costly penalties.

Whether you’re a Jags or Chiefs fan, or just a regular spectator, you were likely to throw your hands up in exacerbation.

On one play, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence took a big hit from Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, welcoming questions as to where the flags were.

On another play, people wondered if Jags pass rusher Arden Key’s hit on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that temporarily sent the latter out of the game constituted for a penalty.

Two of Key’s hits on on Mahomes also got people talking as to whether or not they deserved the dreaded penalty.

So, again, roughing the passer or not? You decide. Some people feel the league is going easier on Mahomes than Lawrence, others are just perplexed as to what the penalty even means anymore.

5 underrated Chiefs performances in preseason Week 1 vs. Bears

Upon closer inspection, these five #Chiefs had great performances in preseason Week 1.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t come away with a win against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 of the preseason, but they did get some very valuable snaps for members of their roster.

The coaching staff will use those snaps to help evaluate players as they whittle down the roster to 53 players at the start of the NFL’s regular season. The first wave of roster cuts comes on Tuesday, Aug. 16, with Kansas City needing to trim its roster from 85 to 90 players.

While everyone knows the standout performers from the Chiefs’ Week 1 preseason game, there was a handful that might have flown under the radar. Here’s a look at five of the team’s underrated performances in Week 1:

Chiefs players rip Bengals CB Eli Apple after Super Bowl loss

#Bengals CB Eli Apple made his bed and now he has to sleep in it.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. Bengals CB Eli Apple was posterized by Rams WR Cooper Kupp in what would be the game-winning score.

It was a moment of sweet vengeance because Apple wasn’t exactly the most humble player in victory. After the Bengals win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, Apple ran his mouth to Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman on Twitter and really continued to do so in the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl LVI.

He first announced that he’d hook Hill and Hardman both up with tickets to the Super Bowl.

Apple even called Hill a “baby.”

Well, Apple made his bed and now he’s got to sleep in it. After he gave up the touchdown and the game went final, several Chiefs players chimed in on Twitter.

Hill was the first to comment, shooting off a tweet immediately after the score.

Hardman sought to remind the Bengals’ cornerback that he was responsible for giving up the game-winning score.

He also had to show off a piece of hardware — one that Apple won’t be getting any time soon.

Khalen Saunders got in on the Super Bowl ring action too.

Apple set himself up for this type of response and it’s not just coming from Chiefs players, it’s coming from across the league. The lesson to be learned here: Stay humble until the job is finished.

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Chiefs activate DT Khalen Saunders from injured reserve

The #Chiefs activated DT Khalen Saunders from injured reserve on Tuesday, but CB Chris Lammons will remain on injured reserve.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to shuffle their 53-man roster ahead of the AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After waiving WR Josh Gordon on Monday, the Chiefs have formally activated DT Khalen Saunders from injured reserve per the NFL’s personnel notice for Tuesday. Saunders suffered a knee injury back in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. The team didn’t originally know the extent of his injury, which eventually required a cleanup procedure. He was placed on injured reserve just ahead of Week 12.

Saunders has appeared in seven games for the Chiefs this season, recording eight total tackles and five quarterback pressures. He’ll be key depth for Kansas City through the playoffs, especially with Jarran Reed getting banged up in the divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills.

Saunders and CB Chris Lammons were designated to return from injured reserve on Jan. 4, which opened their 21-day practice window. Tuesday was the deadline for both players to return to the 53-man roster. Lammons was not activated by the team, meaning he’ll remain on injured reserve through the playoffs.

In other roster news, Gordon officially cleared waivers on Tuesday. Expect the team to formally sign him to the practice squad on Wednesday.

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Chiefs designate DT Khalen Saunders, CB Chris Lammons to return from injured reserve

The #Chiefs have designated DT Khalen Saunders and special teams ace Chris Lammons to return from injured reserve.

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The Kansas City Chiefs appear to have some reinforcements returning to the team ahead of the playoffs.

According to the NFL’s official personnel notice for Tuesday, the Chiefs have designated both DT Khalen Saunders and CB Chris Lammons to return from injured reserve. Remember, this doesn’t mean they’re returning to the 53-man roster just yet. When a team designates a player to return from injured reserve it opens a 21-day practice window where they can begin practicing with the team. If they’re not activated by the end of that 21-day window they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Saunders first suffered a knee injury in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. After he had a procedure done on his knee, the team placed him on injured reserve just ahead of Week 12.

Following the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Saunders tweeted that he was almost back from the knee injury.

Appearing in 7 games as a rotational player this season, Saunders recorded 8 total tackles and five total pressures.

Moving onto Lammons, he was actually injured during the first matchup with the Broncos, suffering an ankle injury. He was ultimately placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 14. A special teams ace for Kansas City, Lammons is one of the better gunners in football. He played 78% of the team’s special teams snaps prior to his injury and recorded six tackles for the team during that span.

It’s unclear whether either player has a chance to return for Week 18 in Denver, but it’s good to know that they both have a chance to return to action this season. The Chiefs currently have 53 players on their roster, so in order to return either player from injured reserve, they’ll need to make corresponding roster moves.

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Chiefs place RB Jerick McKinnon, DT Khalen Saunders on injured reserve list

The #Chiefs sent a pair of players to injured reserve on Tuesday, ensuring they’ll be out for the upcoming three-game stretch against AFC West opponents.

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After a week off for the bye week, the Kansas City Chiefs have sent a pair of players to the injured reserve list.

According to the NFL’s official personnel notice both RB Jerick McKinnon and DT Khalen Saunders have been placed on injured reserve. Their placement on the list seems to stem from injuries suffered during the course of the season.

McKinnon suffered a hamstring injury in the opening kickoff of the Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He was eventually ruled out of that game and was scheduled to have an MRI the following week. The results of that MRI were enough to land McKinnon on injured reserve. He’ll have to stay on the injured reserve list for a minimum of three weeks, missing the next three games against the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers before he can return.

As for Saunders, he’s been dealing with a knee injury suffered in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. He’s been assumed to be a healthy scratch during weeks 8 through 11, but it appears he’s actually been dealing with that injury as well. He’ll also spend a minimum of three weeks on the injured reserve list for Kansas City.

Both McKinnon and Saunders will be missed while they’re absent. McKinnon was especially starting to come on in pass protection for the team in recent weeks when Clyde Edwards-Helaire was absent.

The Chiefs needed to open up at least one roster space for the return of Kyle Long and Marcus Kemp, but these two transactions also mean that Kansas City should have an extra spot on the 53-man roster. This signals that the team could be preparing to activate OL Mike Remmers from injured reserve or rookie DE Joshua Kaindoh. It’s possible they open up the practice window for one of these players later in the week and see how they do before making their decision.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates prior to Thursday practice

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid provided injury updates ahead of practice on Thursday, telling reporters that 3 players would miss the first practice of the week.

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The Kansas City Chiefs will have their first practice of the week ahead of their Week 8 game against the New York Giants.

The contest occurs on “Monday Night Football” which means the Chiefs had an extra day off before getting started on practice this week. The extra day was good for players as they recover from the bumps and bruises suffered in the loss on Sunday.

Andy Reid provided his usual pre-practice update to reporters on Thursday, explaining that three players would miss practice for various reasons.

“Chris Jones is out for personal reasons,” Reid said. “Anthony Hitchens won’t practice today with a tricep contusion and Khalen Saunders’ knee swole up after the game. He won’t practice, but it looks like he’s doing pretty good here.”

Jones has been dealing with a wrist injury and dealt with a groin injury in the loss to the Titans. It’s good news that his absence from practice isn’t injury-related, but it’d also be better to see him practice. Reid added that he expects Jones back possibly Friday evening.

As for Hitchens, don’t expect him to play this week after the team protected LB Darius Harris on the practice squad for a second consecutive week. That signals Hitchens won’t be ready and that Harris will be elevated to the 53-man roster again. I’m not sure they’re in a rush to get Hitchens back on the field with the way Nick Bolton has played either.

Finally, Saunders is dealing with swelling in one of his knees. He’s been a bright spot and all-effort on the defensive line. Reid seemed to be optimistic that he was improving and could be back at practice soon.

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