NEW ORLEANS What a wonderful way to commemorate Cooper DeJean’s 22nd birthday.
When DeJean returned a bad ball from Patrick Mahomes 38 yards for a touchdown to give Philadelphia a 17-0 lead over Kansas City in the second quarter on Sunday, he became the only player in Super Bowl history to intercept a pass or score a touchdown on his birthday.
Before sprinting in for the first Super Bowl pick-six since Robert Alford’s for Atlanta against Tom Brady and New England eight years ago, DeJean cut off Mahomes after undercutting a route by DeAndre Hopkins. Before the Patriots pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, that one gave the Falcons a 21-0 advantage that increased to 28-3 in the second half.
Tampa Bay’s three pick-sixes against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl 37 is the only instance in which a team has lost a Super Bowl after returning an interception for a touchdown while the other 12 teams have all won.
According to Sportradar, DeJean and teammate Saquon Barkley are the 15th and 16th players, respectively, to play in a Super Bowl on their birthdays. Before DeJean, none of those guys had intercepted a pass or scored a touchdown.
In the first half, Barkley ran for 31 yards on 12 carries, surpassing Terrell Davis’s 2,476-yard mark and setting the NFL season running record, including for the postseason.
DeJean, a 2024 second-round selection from Iowa, was a major contributor to Philadelphia’s defensive comeback when he was added to the starting lineup early in the season.
At a Super Bowl watch party in his tiny hamlet of Odebolt, Iowa, his fans were thrilled by his spectacular play.
— AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow
