Muhlbach played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2004 by the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Detroit Lions that same year.

[3][4] Prior to joining the Lions, he had tried out for the team and the Buffalo Bills and was working at a First Bank and Trust in Lufkin, Texas.

[5] Early in his Lions career, Muhlbach overcame the adversity brought on by a botched snap against the Minnesota Vikings in a December 20, 2004 game.

Holder Nick Harris was unable to cleanly field a bounced snap on a PAT attempt with 8 seconds remaining in the game.

[14] Following his release, Muhlbach retired from the NFL, and joined the Lions' front office as a special assistant to the team president.