New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton kept his promise after his team beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC Wildcard Game.
With CBS and Nickelodeon both broadcasting Sunday afternoon’s Wildcard matchup between the Saints and Bears, the winning coach was set to get “slimed.” The NFL entered into the broadcasting partnership in an attempt to reach a younger audience.
The New Orleans head coach made an agreement to “get slimed, whatever that means” during a press conference just days before kickoff with the Chicago Bears. And although he seemingly forgot about the promise he made in the minutes after eliminating Chicago, Payton quickly got questions about it during his postgame press conference.
As a result, Payton said he would try it out after finishing up with his media obligations.
During the game, the broadcast crew hit a few different Saints players with virtual slime. However, Payton was hit with the real thing, receiving a full bucket of green slime right to the face.
Check out the video clip of Payton holding up his end of the bargain after the win:
Sean Payton, Saints Advance to Divisional Round
The Saints entered Sunday’s Wild Card game as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. And while they had just a 7-3 lead at halftime, they managed to pull away from Chicago for a 21-9 win. The only Bears touchdown of the day came on a play on the final snap of the game. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky heaved a deep ball to tight end Jimmy Graham, who spectacularly caught the ball as time expired.
“I think in the first half, it wasn’t necessarily third downs, we had some minus plays and it was the complete opposite in the second half,” Payton said in his postgame press conference. “We didn’t have a lot of possessions, but I know we had two long drives. I thought the second half time of possession was important. It proved to be important.”
Quarterback Drew Brees completed 28-of-39 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, running back Alvin Kamara ran the ball 23 times for 99 yards and one touchdown.
After beating the Bears at the Superdome, New Orleans will now host their rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for a division-round playoff game next Sunday.
It will be Tom Brady versus Drew Brees for the third time this season. However, the upcoming matchup will mark a first. It will be two quarterbacks in their 40s (Brady is 43, Brees turns 42 on Friday) meeting in the postseason.
“Don’t take it for granted,” Brees said of the matchup with Brady. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity. Listen, the minute that he signs with the Bucs and came to the division, you knew that was going to be a team to contend with. That was going to be a team that had playoff aspirations and beyond, just like us. So, I guess it was inevitable.”
