Andrew Mukuba Tilts Tremendous Bowl Rematch: ‘He Has a Knack for Discovering the Soccer’

KANSAS CITY – With Tremendous Bowl winners everywhere in the discipline, the largest play of probably the most anticipated recreation of the 2025 NFL season got here from a rookie enjoying simply his second recreation as a professional.

Within the fourth quarter, with the Eagles clinging to a three-point lead on the street, the Chiefs had pushed from their 20 to the Philadelphia 6-yard line, properly inside vary of a tying discipline purpose and threatening to take the lead. Patrick Mahomes threw a fast cross to tight finish Travis Kelce, however the ball bounced off his arms and instantly into the arms of Eagles rookie security Andrew Mukuba, who not solely held on for the choose however returned the interception 41 yards.

“I broke on the ball, and the ball was within the air,” stated the 22-year-old Mukuba, a second-round choose from Texas. “I really feel like I do good across the ball. The ball occurred to search out my arms.”

The Eagles confirmed final yr they will have supreme confidence in rookie defensive backs, as nook Quinyon Mitchell and nickel Cooper DeJean had been key components of their run to a championship. As a brand new season begins, they’re once more trusting a rookie in an important place. Sunday illustrated why they’ve such confidence in his still-growing expertise.

“He has a knack for locating the soccer,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stated. “You’ll be able to see it on his faculty tape. Some guys have that.”

Mukuba, born in Zimbabwe, moved to the USA together with his household when he was 8 years previous. He found soccer in Austin, Texas, and was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Yr as a freshman at Clemson. He actually discovered himself final season when he transferred to Texas, getting 5 interceptions and establishing himself as an NFL prospect.

“The massive factor about Drew is he got here in and was a sponge with (veterans) Reed (Blankenship), Marcus (Epps), Sidney (Brown), absorbing the sport from them,” Mitchell stated. “He earned the coaches’ belief by going on the market, enjoying onerous and doing his job. Actually, that was the largest play of the sport tonight. They had been driving on us, and he simply made a hell of a play.”

He is nonetheless a rookie, after all, in order a crowd of reporters gathered round him in a triumphant locker room Sunday night time, his teammates shouted out “be sure to inform them you bought tackled by a deal with.” The rationale it was a 41-yard interception return and never a 100-yard landing was Chiefs rookie left deal with Josh Simmons, weighing 310 kilos, leaped at Mukuba and took him out.

“I am actually mad I received caught on the finish,” Mukuba stated. “I actually did (suppose he was within the clear) and I seemed to my proper and I could not even reduce, and an O-lineman caught me. I attempted to hit the fuel on the final minute, however he nonetheless received me.”

“I am positively going to present him some stuff within the locker room for getting tackled by an offensive lineman,” stated Saquon Barkley, who’s the primary participant to win Tom Brady’s LFG Participant of the Recreation honor thrice.

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Mukuba had made an affect earlier within the recreation, as amongst his six tackles had been a deal with for loss and his first NFL sack, cut up with edge rusher Z’Darius Smith on a blitz that introduced down Mahomes on a third-down play. He gave credit score to his teammates on the sidelines, speaking to him between possessions and retaining his spirits up when different performs had gotten away from him.

“There have been occasions I felt like there have been performs I might have made and did not make,” Mukuba stated. “I had Reed subsequent to me telling me to remain assured and maintain going. As I make extra performs, I am going to achieve extra confidence and, in the end, I am going to get actually comfy.”

The complete recreation was a single-score affair for many of it, however Mukuba’s interception helped change that. As a substitute of a fourth-quarter deficit with a Chiefs landing, which might have made the rating 16-13, the Eagles received the ball with the lead. 

From there, the offense stepped up and drove 59 yards, changing a third-and-10 after which getting the ultimate yard on a fourth-and-1 “Tush Push” run from Jalen Hurts. Philadelphia wanted each level of the 10-point lead that landing gave it for the reason that Chiefs rallied for a late landing. The Eagles had been capable of run out the clock to make sure a second win this calendar yr over Kansas Metropolis.

“It was a altering level within the recreation, and I believed we wanted that as a group, to complete the sport out,” Mubuka stated of his interception. “That is the secret: you have to get the ball. You are considering ball always. It is necessary. It helps me loads to be in place to make that play.”

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand spent a decade overlaying the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Occasions and The Athletic. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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