NEW ORLEANS >> What a way to celebrate a 22nd birthday for Cooper DeJean.

DeJean became the first player in Super Bowl history to intercept a pass or score a touchdown on his birthday when he returned a poor throw by Patrick Mahomes 38 yards for a TD to give Philadelphia a 17-0 lead over Kansas City in the second quarter on Sunday.

It was a pretty sweet 28th birthday as well for DeJean’s teammate, Saquon Barkley, who set the single-season record for most combined yards rushing in the regular season and playoffs.

But it was DeJean who made the biggest play.

DeJean undercut a route by DeAndre Hopkins and picked off Mahomes before racing in for the first pick-6 in a Super Bowl since Robert Alford had one for Atlanta against Tom Brady and New England eight years ago. That one gave the Falcons a 21-0 lead that grew to 28-3 in the second half before the Patriots mounted the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

That’s the only time a team has lost a Super Bowl after returning an interception for a touchdown with the other 12 teams all winning, including Tampa Bay in a game with three pick-6s against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl 37.

DeJean and teammate Saquon 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.

Barkley has rushed for 31 yards on 12 carries in the first half and set the NFL season rushing record, postseason included, topping the mark of 2,476 yards set by Terrell Davis.

DeJean was a second-round pick out of Iowa this year and his insertion into the starting lineup early in the season was a key part of Philadelphia’s defensive rebound.

His big play delighted his fans in his small hometown of Odebolt, Iowa, who came out for a Super Bowl watch party.

Barkley sets NFL’s season rushing record >> Saquon Barkley rushed for 31 yards in the first half of the Super Bowl and set the NFL season rushing record, postseason included, topping the mark of 2,476 yards set by Terrell Davis.

The AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Barkley needed only 30 yards to top Davis’ total set in 1998 when he helped the Denver Broncos win the Super Bowl. Also that season, Davis was the last running back to win Super Bowl MVP.

Barkley ran the ball on the first offensive play of the Super Bowl and finally got the mark after a slow first half on a 2-yard run on the last play of the half. Barkley had 12 carries for 31 yards for a measly 2.6 yards per carry. He averaged 5.8 yards in the regular season.

The Eagles were fine without Barkley’s usually spectacular production. Thanks to two interceptions by the defense and two total touchdowns from Jalen Hurts, the Eagles led the Chiefs 24-0 at halftime.

Barkley had reason to feel festive Sunday, not only setting the record and playing in his first Super Bowl in his first season with the Eagles, he also turned 28.

His 2,005 yards rushing in the regular season made Barkley the ninth running back in NFL history to top 2,000 yards and he entered the Super Bowl with 2,447 total rushing yards.

Barkley had seven (postseason included) touchdown runs of 60-plus yards entering Sunday.