It isn’t just about the Houston Texans playing in the opening game of wild-card weekend, which has happened frequently throughout the franchise’s history. The first contest of the NFL postseason will also be broadcast on Nickelodeon.
Nickelodeon – a sister network of CBS with programming designed for children and adolescents – has broadcast an NFL game every year since 2021. CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus had approached the league with the idea as a way to market football to a younger audience while teaching them about key concepts of the game.
The first Nickelodeon simulcast – the 2021 wild-card playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears – was a rousing success. That led the network to continue broadcasting one game per year while adding a weekly show called ‘NFL Slimetime’ to its programming catalog.
Nickelodeon has often incorporated its most iconic traditions into its NFL broadcasts. This included superimposed slime on the field, appearances from its most notable stars and commentary from the networks most recognizable characters, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star.
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Here’s what to know about the NFL on Nickelodeon’s history and how to watch the alternate broadcast to start the 2025 playoffs.
What is the Nickelodeon wild card game 2025?
Matchup: Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: NRG Stadium
Nickelodeon’s NFL broadcast for the 2025 playoffs will be the first game of the postseason. The AFC South-winning Texans are hosting the conference’s top wild-card team, the Chargers, in a battle to advance to the divisional round.
Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, who finished the 2024 NFL season with an 11-6 record, are slight favorites over the home team Texans, who logged a 10-7 record to win the AFC South for a second consecutive season.
What time is the Nickelodeon wild card game?
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
The Texans vs. Chargers game will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. There will be no additional pregame coverage of the contest on Nickelodeon, as the movie ‘Trolls’ will be shown on the network in the lead-up to the playoff game.
CBS’ pregame coverage of the event will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET with its broadcast of ‘The NFL Today.’
Nickelodeon wild card game live stream
Live stream: Paramount+, Fubo
NFL fans can catch the Texans vs. Chargers game with a subscription to Paramount+, which is CBS and Nickelodeon’s streaming service. Cord-cutters can also catch the action with a subscription to Fubo, which is offering a free trial.
Stream NFL games with a Fubo subscription
NFL on Nickelodeon announcers
Nate Burleson is going to be leading the NFL on Nickelodeon broadcast, as he has since the inception of the program.
However, he won’t be paired with a traditional announcer group. Instead, he’ll broadcast the game alongside Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, who voice SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star respectively. The two will perform as the iconic characters as part of the broadcast and will be shown as animated versions of them. Burleson will also be animated, but as himself.
The broadcast will have two reporters on the sideline: NFL Slimetime’s Dylan Schefter (daughter of ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and SpongeBob SquarePants character Sandy Cheeks, voiced by Carolyn Lawrence.
Rules and penalties will be explained by Dora The Explorer (voiced by Diana Zermeño).
NFL on Nickelodeon history
Nickelodeon’s wild-card broadcast of the Texans vs. Chargers game will be the network’s sixth NFL game since 2021. The games have exclusively been broadcast during the postseason or on Christmas Day during the program’s history. It also broadcast Super Bowl 58, which was aired by its sister network CBS.
Here’s a look at the games Nickelodeon has broadcast:
Jan. 10, 2021: New Orleans Saints 21, Chicago Bears 9
Jan. 16, 2022: San Francisco 49ers 23, Dallas Cowboys 17
Dec. 25, 2022: Los Angeles Rams 51, Denver Broncos 14
Dec. 25, 2023: Las Vegas Raiders 20, Kansas City Chiefs 14
Feb. 11, 2024: Kansas City Chiefs 25, San Francisco 49ers 22 (OT)
Jan. 11, 2025: Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers
NFL playoffs schedule
The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend before concluding on Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Wild card weekend
All times Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 11
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, Jan. 12
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Monday, Jan. 13
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 18
AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.
AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 19
AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.
AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.
NFL conference championship round
Sunday, Jan. 26
NFC championship game: 3 p.m.
AFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.
Super Bowl 59
Date: Feb. 9, 2025
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: FOX