The Philadelphia Eagles, regardless of how “ugly” their start to the season may have been, can hold their head high as they start the season undefeated in two contests — including a 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX. It was the Eagles’ defense that starred in that grimy victory — with rookie safety Drew Mukuba even picking off a pass from future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahones that was intended for Travis Kelce at the goal line.
Mukuba was at the right place at the right time, with Reed Blankenship’s coverage making it difficult for the Chiefs tight end to catch the ball cleanly. The 22-year-old then managed to run the ball 41 yards before he was taken down on the sideline by offensive lineman Josh Simmons.
While Mukuba did play an important part in giving the Eagles the win, endearing himself to teammates even further, he did prompt some lighthearted mocking from his teammates after a defensive back like him wasn’t able to take the ball all the way to the end zone for a pick-six after getting tackled by an offensive lineman.
“It was a lot of them that was happy for me. There was also a lot giving me crap for getting caught, especially by an O-lineman. That ain’t supposed to happen for a DB. Yeah, that’s crazy,” Mukuba said, per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
One of those players that gave Mukuba “crap” was Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who, despite praising the rookie for his defensive acumen, wanted to see him take that ball all the way towards the opposite end zone.
“It was crazy. I thought he was gone. He’s gotta score that. But he’s got a knack for the football. He’s going to make plays like that each and every week,” Mitchell said.
All’s well that ends well anyway, especially when the Eagles did manage to score not too long after Mukuba’s pick.
Eagles’ defense gets the job done to start title defense
It’s not too often that an offense led by Mahomes gets held down in check the way they did on Sunday. But the Eagles’ defense deserve plenty of credit for stifling the Chiefs, especially with unheralded weapons such as Mukuba grabbing the limelight with their highlight-reel plays.
The Eagles, for Week 2, are set to face the Los Angeles Rams in a battle of two teams that have gone unbeaten thus far in 2025.
