Nickelodeon brings slime to NFL with kid-friendly Saints-Bears broadcast

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 10: Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints runs through a tackle by Deon Bush #26 and Kindle Vildor #22 of the Chicago Bears during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 10, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The NFL partnered with Nickelodeon for a kid-friendly broadcast of Sunday's Chicago Bears-New Orleans Saints playoff game with coverage that featured several twists.

Us to anyone else watching the game on Nick pic.twitter.com/vy7bxxZgKj
— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) January 10, 2021

Nickelodeon dubbed the end zone the "slime zone" and virtually doused players with goo after the game's opening touchdown:

Cue the SLIME CANNONS! (via: @NFLUpOfficial) pic.twitter.com/CY9AdIOsOW
— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) January 10, 2021

Slime also took the place of the virtual first-down marker:

Slime Line >>> first down line pic.twitter.com/4srujkLGDO
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) January 10, 2021

SpongeBob SquarePants featured heavily, including on the nets behind the goalposts:

pic.twitter.com/k9zefYhYAV
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) January 10, 2021

And who better to explain penalties to young viewers than Young Sheldon?

And now Young Sheldon is explaining penalties pic.twitter.com/lFuCVEaYd9
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) January 10, 2021

Then there were the first-half highlights, delivered in true Nick fashion:

First half of Saints vs. Bears is in the books.

Get your first half highlights… @Nickelodeon STYLE. pic.twitter.com/eJ2CdYke4G
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 10, 2021

Finally, a new award was introduced: The Nickelodeon Valuable Player.