Slime, Spongebob steal show in Nickelodeon's broadcast of Saints-Bears

(via Twitter/CBSSports)

What would make NFL wild-card weekend more fun? Slime and Spongebob Squarepants, of course.

Nickelodeon and CBS partnered to broadcast their own family-friendly version of Sunday's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears.

Noah Eagle, son of CBS broadcaster Ian Eagle, had the call for the game and was joined by Nate Burleson and Nickelodeon stars Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Lex Lumpkin.

"This is a perfect opportunity to captivate a new audience of sports fans and football fans, while being a family friendly broadcast, so that the family can watch it all as a single unit, and have fun," Eagle said of the broadcast.

The broadcast focused less on stats and more on fun facts about the players -- such as a player's favourite flavour of ice cream. Throughout the game there was kid-friendly breakdowns of football rules, including explanations about flags given by CBS star Iain Armitage of Young Sheldon.

The graphics during the game also boasted some Nickelodeon flair, with player comparisons to cartoon characters, bright colours and fun animations.

The cartoon network's signature slime was also present throughout the broadcast and could be seen on the first-down line and in the end zone after a touchdown.

Saints head coach Sean Payton even said Friday that he would be willing to be slimed if New Orleans wins, instead of a more traditional Gatorade bath. Payton kept his word and was showered in the classic green slime after the Saints won 21-9.

Ahead of the game, Nickelodeon had a special episode of Spongebob "Sportspants" that featured sports-themed moments from the popular cartoon show.

Football fans on social media seemed to love the family-fun broadcast.

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