Philadelphia Eagles CB Cooper DeJean becomes first player to score Super Bowl TD on his birthday
Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean is having quite the Super Bowl.
DeJean, who is also celebrating his 22nd birthday, made the biggest play of the first half as the Birds lead the Chiefs, 24-0 at halftime.
DeJean intercepted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes late in the second quarter and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. With the score, he became the first player to score a touchdown on his birthday in the Super Bowl. He's the second player to score a touchdown in an NFL championship game on his birthday.
Former Eagles running back Steve Van Buren scored a touchdown on his birthday in the 1947 NFL championship game against the Chicago Cardinals, which predates the Super Bowl era.
DeJean isn't the only Eagles player playing in the game on his birthday. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who broke Terrell Davis' regular season and postseason rushing record, is also celebrating his birthday. He turned 28 on Sunday.
DeJean and Barkley are the 15th and 16th players to appear in a Super Bowl on their birthdays, according to Sportradar. None of those players had scored a touchdown or intercepted a pass before DeJean.
DeJean and the defense have been the story of the Super Bowl so far for the Birds. They've terrorized Mahomes and the rest of Kansas City's weapons. Zack Baun also picked off Mahomes, which set up an A.J. Brown touchdown.
The Eagles have sacked Mahomes three times, which is something they weren't able to do in Super Bowl LVII. Josh Sweat leads the way with 1.5 sacks, Milton Williams has 1 and Jalyx Hunt has a half of a sack.
Mahomes completed 6 of his 14 passes for 33 yards, along with his two interceptions, in the first half. The Eagles limited Kansas City to 23 total yards in the first half.
