Barkley turned 28 on Super Bowl Sunday, and after a simply sensational 2024 regular season in which he eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing, it seemed like a mere formality that he’d celebrate with a TD. Barkley did make some history, establishing a new single-season rushing record — including playoffs, but was held out of the end zone and to 57 yards on 25 carries as the Chiefs game-planned to stop him.
It was DeJean who found the end zone midway through the second quarter for a score that opened up a 17-0 Philadelphia lead. In retrospect, it was the tally that truly kicked off a stunning blowout for the Eagles, as they’d dominated from the start of the game but were still clinging to just a 10-0 lead.
That’s when DeJean read Patrick Mahomes perfectly, snatched his first career interception and took off with six-point intentions.
With Mahomes rolling right and firing off a terrible ball, DeJean slipped underneath, hauled in the pigskin and switched the field. He was untouched until he hit the far sideline, juked inside past one Chiefs offensive lineman and then ran through the arm-tackle offering of another.
“We were playing zone,” DeJean said. “I just dropped into coverage, was dropping into my zone. Zack Baun ran through with the guy to the flat. It allowed me to fall back inside and pick off the crosser that was coming across from the opposite side. If I didn’t pick it, I think [Quinyon Mitchell] might have picked it off, too, but it just fell right into my lap. [I] had to catch it. I’ve dropped a couple this season, so luckily I caught that one and found the quickest path I could to the end zone.”
Thereafter, DeJean high-stepped a bit before running around the end zone searching for teammates to celebrate the surreal moment.
“I was running around like I was a little kid,” said DeJean, who also had three tackles in the game. “I didn’t have any celebrations planned.”