Few football plays are more exciting than the interception. It’s made even better when a 324-pound defensive tackle does it against Patrick Mahomes and subsequently shows off his wheels.
The Chiefs led the Saints 16-7 with under two minutes left in the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on Monday night.
With Mahomes facing 2nd-and-goal at the Saints’ 2-yard-line, a Chiefs touchdown appeared imminent. But Mahomes’ pass to Juju Smith-Schuster was deflected by Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo and fell right into the hands of defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.
Instead of simply going down to secure the turnover, Saunders wanted to show the world that big men can run too.
KHALEN SAUNDERS SAID HOLD UP LET ME RUN THIS
📺: #NOvsKC— 8:15pm on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/OSelERCV8O— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2024
Saunders ran it back for 37 yards. For a brief moment, the hulking Saints D-lineman looked like he had an outside shot at an end zone-to-end zone house call.
Saunders reached a max speed of 15.79 mph, which was the third-fastest speed reached by a ball carrier weighing over 320 pounds since 2016.
At 324 pounds, Khalen Saunders reached a top speed of 15.79 mph on his 36-yard interception, the 3rd-fastest speed by a ball carrier who weighs over 320 pounds since 2016.
The interception increased the @Saints win probability from 5.1% to 15.0% (+9.9%).
Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/14JmFXZCxa
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 8, 2024
The play provided a massive boost for the Saints, who scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to trim the lead to 16-13.
