KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders probably left pop superstar Taylor Swift and his former team with some mixed feelings after a two-play series against the Chiefs in his return to Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.
First, the big defensive tackle stopped Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on an inside pass play when they had first-and-goal at the New Orleans 2. Then, on the very next play, Saunders watched Patrick Mahomes' pass bounce off JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hands and right into his waiting arms for his first career interception, which he returned on a 37-yard rumble as his own sideline went wild.
They were two of the biggest highlights for the Saints in a 26-13 loss to the defending Super Bowl champions.
“Coming from playing here for four years, and all the respect in the world for Patrick, you got to take advantage of the mistakes they make. And so just to be on the other end of the mistake that was made, man, that was special,” Saunders said.
“Wish we could’ve come out with a win," he added, "but you know, I think that we learned a lot about our team."
So how did Swift factor into everything?
For one thing, she has been dating Kelce for more than a year, and was back at Arrowhead Stadium to see him play after missing the Chiefs’ last two games on the road. For another, one of her backup dancers happens to be Saunders’ brother, Kameron.
The two-play sequence will surely wake up the conspiracy theorists who think the NFL is rigged, too. The ESPN telecast had just shown a picture of Kameron Saunders with Swift and Kelce during a trip to London, where the Chiefs tight end made a cameo in one of her performances at Wembley Stadium on her Eras Tour over this summer.
Kameron Saunders has also joined Swift in a suite to see games at Arrowhead Stadium in the past.
The football-playing Saunders brother was a third-round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2019, and he won a pair of Super Bowl rings over his first four seasons with them. But he signed with New Orleans as a free agent a couple of years ago, and he returned to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time to face his former team in front of Swift and a boisterous Chiefs crowd.
It was some of that inside knowledge that may have helped him on Kelce's reception.
“I knew it was coming. I know that little ‘tight end flip,'" Saunders said. “Man, I told you, there’s certain plays they just can’t run while I’m in the game. And a lot of them are screens and the tight end flip. I was on the scout team for a long time. I have been going against Trav and Pat for a long time. I know all the little tricks and stuff like that.”
As for his return skills on the interception ... well, the 324-pound tackle won't be mistaken for a sprinter any time soon.
“I was trying to get it home, man. Take it home. Them running back days flashed in my head,” Saunders said, "and I was like, ‘That’s 101 (yards). That’s a little ways to go.’ But I was trying to give us some real field position.”
The Saints wound up turning the turnover into a touchdown, closing within 16-13 early in the fourth quarter. But the Chiefs answered with a touchdown of their own before putting the game away with a late field goal.
“We got to continue going forward,” Saunders said. “This doesn’t do anything but guarantee that we won’t be any better than 14-3 and I believe that. I’ve been on teams that lost in Week 10 and didn’t lose no more. So stuff like that is always encouraging.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) catches a pass as New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (50) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (50) intercepts a pass in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Berti looked like a Gold Glove winner in his first professional game at first base.
Forced to use backups following Anthony Rizzo's injury, the New York Yankees started Berti at first base in Monday night's 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals that evened their AL Division Series at one game apiece.
Berti made a clean pickup of Yuli Gurriel's tricky second-inning squibber over the bag, then a diving stab for an unassisted double play in the sixth to save at least one run — maybe two.
“I thought he was great over there tonight and at the plate,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Berti sprawled for a backhand catch on pinch-hitter MJ Melendez's 105.3 mph liner in the sixth, popped to his feet and stepped on first to double up Michael Massey for an inning-ending double play.
“Just reacted to it, obviously, and glad we’re able to get out of that and give ourselves a chance moving forward," Berti said.
Berti went 1 for 4 with a strikeout, hitting a pair of flyouts and a ninth-inning single.
“Berti’s an athlete,” Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “Just like me, you can put him on any part of the field. He’s going to make plays."
Acquired from Miami just before opening day, Berti hit .273 in 25 games and 66 at-bats for the Yankees this year while playing second, third and left.
A 34-year-old veteran of seven big league season, Berti had no experience at first base besides the final three innings of a spring training game when Miami played Washington on March 25, 2021. He caught the throw from third baseman Joe Dunand on Jordy Mercer's eighth-inning grounder for his one putout.
With Rizzo sidelined by a pair of fractured fingers, Oswaldo Cabrera started at first in the Yankees' 6-5 win Saturday in the series opener, going 1 for 4 with three strikeouts and making several sparkling defensive plays.
New York rookie Ben Rice, who played at first while Rizzo was sidelined with a broken right forearm from mid-June through August, was another option on the Yankees roster.
Boone was impressed by Berti's pickup on Gurriel's grounder.
“Sneaky, tough play, especially when you’re not over there a lot where that ball’s spinning on you,” Boone said. “Thought he handled himself really well tonight over there.”
Hurt when hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki on Sept. 28, Rizzo hopes to be back if the Yankees advance to the League Championship Series.
Berti worked in the past week with coach Travis Chapman and Rizzo to learn first base positioning.
“Just a lot of nuance to it," Berti said. "There’s a lot more to it than people probably think. But coming over as third baseman, shortstop, second baseman, you always want to go after every single ball. But as a first baseman, you've got to learn kind of which balls are going to go towards the second baseman and get over to first.”
Boone picked Clarke Schmidt over Luis Gil to start Game 3 at Kansas City on Wednesday night.
Schmidt, a 28-year-old right-hander, will follow Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón in the rotation, with Cole lined up for Game 4 in the best-of-five series and Rodón for a potential Game 5. A 28-year-old right-hander, Schmidt was 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts, missing time between May 26 and Sept. 7 because of a strained right lat.
“I think a great opportunity and something I’ve been looking forward to and kind of hoping would happen,” Schmidt said.
Gil, a 26-year-old rookie right-hander, was 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA. He struck out 171 in 151 2/3 innings but led the major leagues with 77 walks.
Schmidt said Boone told him of the decision on Sunday.
“It just feels like he’s the right guy for that game,” Boone said. “I have a lot of confidence in what both bring to the table and, hopefully, if we’re able to move on, then Luis is obviously going to find himself back in the rotation, as well.”
AP freelance writer Larry Fleisher contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees third baseman Jon Berti comes off the bag on a throwing error by third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. allowing Kansas City Royals' Yuli Gurriel (18) to reach first base safely during the sixth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)
