METAIRIE, La. (BRPROUD) — Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders spent the first four years of his career watching Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes from the sidelines as his teammate. On Monday, he’ll face his former quarterback from the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. Saunders is all too familiar with how special Mahomes can be. The reigning Super Bowl MVP can make just about any throw and create plays anywhere on the field. The league’s superstar quarterback poses a huge challenge for a Saints defense that’s struggled to get the quarterback on the ground as much as they would like. “I think the biggest challenge is just making sure that our DB's continue to cover and our pass rushers continue to rush," said Saunders. "The play is never over until the ball on the ground, him on the ground, somebody's on the ground and the plays done. Ride Along: Denham Springs football head coach talks about Southern Lab matchup "So, we just got to echo the sentiment of keep rushing, keep covering because he can obviously make all the throws," said Saunders. "The off-schedule ones, the deep ones, whatever you want to say. So, just got to keep covering and keep rushing, just have them work hand in hand and that's all the way you can kind of hope to slow it down a little bit." “You just watch him play and you're like, there's nobody else that's doing that," said Saints head coach Dennis Allen. "He has great pocket presence. He somehow knows where the rush is, where the escape lanes are, and then he can throw the ball from any angle you want him to throw it from accurately. And so, he's really difficult to deal with.” Something that will help the Saints' defense is Mahomes is turning over the ball more than he typically does so far. Mahomes has thrown five interceptions this season, which is the second most in the league. Latest News EBRSO deputy accused of bringing contraband into jail, malfeasance arrested Are the New Orleans Saints ready for 'measuring stick' game against the Chiefs Monday? Springsteen calls Trump 'most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime,' backs Harris See how the New Orleans Saints are preparing for an injured Chiefs team New Orleans Saints' defense tasked with challenge of facing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes