Eagles’ rookie answered the call on Vic Fangio’s Week 1 criticism; he was ‘all over the field’

Vic Fangio called for more from rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, and he delivered

During the week, Vic Fangio spoke with the media about the expectations going into Arrowhead Stadium against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. He discussed how he was preparing his defense to shut down their offense, just as he had in the Super Bowl in February.

The Eagles ran out 40-22 winners in Super Bowl LIX, but they’d held Mahomes and the Chiefs to a first-half shutout, and only six points through the first three quarters of the game.

It was a defensive masterclass from Fangio’s group, and this Sunday’s game at Arrowhead had a similar feel.

Fangio had talked about the Chiefs’ focus on trying to take the top off the defense, which led to a conversation about the Eagles’ young safeties.

The veteran defensive coordinator said he wanted to see more from Andrew Mukuba, the safety Philadelphia selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Fangio said, “He [Mukuba] did okay. He had a couple of major busts that hurt us and could have hurt us even more, so I’m looking for him to improve this next week.”

Mukuba did exactly that, and he did it in style.

The rookie, in just his second NFL game, was one of the deciding factors in the Eagles’ eventual win.

The safety came downhill and made a tremendous tackle on third and short early in the third quarter, which resulted in the Chiefs having to punt the ball away.

Mukuba then had over the top coverage on Travis Kelce on an in-route to the endzone early in the fourth, and when it was tipped, he caught it and returned it just over 40 yards down the field.

The rookie ended the game with six tackles, two stops, an interception, and a pass deflection, as well as a half sack while pressuring Patrick Mahomes on a blitz.

Considering his defensive coordinator called for more publicly this week, the response was phenomenal.

The Eagles need to rely on their young secondary this year after trading CJ Gardner-Johnson, and Mukuba was flying around the field all afternoon against the AFC title hopeful Chiefs.

Mukuba was considered a steal at the time, and fans are already taking notice of his production

The rookie isn’t perfect, but he played a spectacular game and helped the Eagles win. There’s no doubt that there’s still room for improvement, but the progress he’s already showing is extremely promising.

One analyst said:

“The speed at which Andrew Mukuba plays the game is such a strength.”

Another said:

“Andrew Mukuba is going to be one of the steals of the Draft, Philly knew what they were doing.”