NEW ORLEANS - On Monday night, the New Orleans Saints visit GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to battle the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime. New Orleans desperately needs a win after dropping two straight games heartbreakingly but getting a win against the two-time defending Super Bowl champs won't be easy.
Current Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders knows how difficult it is to win at Arrowhead, as he was a member of the Chiefs for two of their Super Bowls in his four years there.
Saunders signed a three-year, $14.5 million contract before the 2023 season to join New Orleans. Now, an interesting twist calls his brother's allegiance into question before the big game on Monday night. His brother, Kameron Saunders, is a choreographer/dancer for Grammy Award-winning singer Taylor Swift.
Swift is famously in a relationship with Chiefs superstar and future Hall-of-Fame tight end Travis Kelce. She is a regular at Kansas City games and dominates the television screens whenever she attends. Saunders was asked by reporters where he thinks his brother's allegiance will side Monday night.
"Me, of course," Saunders revealed without hesitation. "He doesn't care about the Chiefs. He cares about his brother. That's his boss (Swift), but I'm his brother. I was here first." Swift is currently on tour, which includes a three-night stop in New Orleans at the end of October.
Her next tour stop is on Oct. 18, so chances are she will be in attendance for the game. Saunders hopes she is.
“Hopefully, she will be there,” the defensive tackle revealed. "He’s going to be cheering for me, because I’m paying for the ticket.”
The Saints need Saunders and the rest of the defense to step up big against the champion Chiefs. Kansas City is undefeated this season and has won its last ten games, including the playoffs. The former third-round pick from the University of Western Illinois saw his first action of the season on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
Saunders recorded an assisted tackle in the loss. He missed the first three games of the season after suffering a right calf injury during the preseason. His presence can further help solidify the run defense, which gave up 172 yards rushing in their Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. During Week 4, the Saints allowed only 88 yards rushing to the Falcons when Saunders returned.
This isn't the only reunion of sorts, as Tyrann Matthieu, the Saints' safety, also goes against his former team. Matthieu played three seasons in Kansas, winning a Super Bowl with Saunders in 2020.
