NEW ORLEANS – What a technique to rejoice a twenty second birthday for Cooper DeJean.
DeJean grew to become the primary participant in Tremendous Bowl historical past to intercept a go or rating a landing on his birthday when he returned a poor throw by Patrick Mahomes 38 yards for a TD to present Philadelphia a 17-0 lead over Kansas Metropolis within the second quarter on Sunday.
It was a reasonably candy twenty eighth birthday as properly for DeJean’s teammate, Saquon Barkley, who set the single-season file for many mixed yards dashing within the common season and playoffs.
Nevertheless it was DeJean who made the most important play.
DeJean undercut a route by DeAndre Hopkins and picked off Mahomes earlier than racing in for the primary pick-6 in a Tremendous Bowl since Robert Alford had one for Atlanta in opposition to Tom Brady and New England eight years in the past. That one gave the Falcons a 21-0 lead that grew to 28-3 within the second half earlier than the Patriots mounted the most important comeback in Tremendous Bowl historical past.
That is the one time a crew has misplaced a Tremendous Bowl after returning an interception for a landing with the opposite 12 groups all successful, together with Tampa Bay in a recreation with three pick-6s in opposition to the Oakland Raiders in Tremendous Bowl 37.
DeJean and teammate Saquon Barkley are the fifteenth and sixteenth gamers to look in a Tremendous Bowl on their birthdays, in response to Sportradar. None of these gamers had scored a landing or intercepted a go earlier than DeJean.
Barkley has rushed for 31 yards on 12 carries within the first half and set the NFL season dashing file, postseason included, topping the mark of two,476 yards set by Terrell Davis.
DeJean was a second-round select of Iowa this yr and his insertion into the beginning lineup early within the season was a key a part of Philadelphia’s defensive rebound.
His massive play delighted his followers in his small hometown of Odebolt, Iowa, who got here out for a Tremendous Bowl watch get together.
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