ClutchPoints
Relatively speaking, only a few players are lucky enough to have won a Super Bowl in the NFL. Others have waited over a decade before winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Even more players ended their pro careers without even coming close to making a Super Bowl appearance.
On the other end of the spectrum are the really lucky few pros who managed to win the most prestigious team achievement in football in their very first season in the NFL — like Philadelphia Eagles rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean, who had the perfect way to celebrate his 22nd birthday on Sunday by winning a Super Bowl.
DeJean did not simply appear on the field during Sunday’s Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans versus the Kansas City Chiefs. He made a huge impact on the Philly’ stop unit which did an admirable job of containing Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s attack in the Eagles’ 40-22 victory.
In the second quarter, DeJean picked off Mahomes at the Chiefs’ 38-yard line and took the ball home for a touchdown. With that house call and the ensuing extra-point kick from Jake Elliott, the Eagles buried the Chiefs in a 17-0 hole.
In addition, DeJean became just the first player in the history of the NFL to score a Super Bowl touchdown on his birthday, according to Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.
Mahomes passed for 257 yards on 21-of-32 completions and also threw for three touchdowns but he was intercepted twice and got sacked six times by the Eagles, who limited Kansas City to only 275 total yards from scrimmage.
DeJean also seemed confident he would be able to find the end zone after picking off Mahomes.
“Right when I touched it,” the former Iowa Hawkeyes star said when asked by ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt at what point he knew he was going to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
DeJean’s penchant for turning interceptions into touchdowns was on display during his days with the Hawkeyes, especially during his sophomore season. In the 2022 college football season, DeJeanhad five interceptions, three of which were pick-sixes.
Overall in his Iowa career, he had seven interceptions, 13 passes defended and three defensive touchdowns through 30 games. In 2024, the Eagles selected him in the second round (40th overall) of that year’s NFL draft. Interestingly enough, his interception against the Chiefs was his first in the NFL, in the regular season or in the playoffs.
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