Dora the Explorer provided some much-needed comic relief during the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Wild Card playoff game.
The Saturday, January 11, matchup was concurrently broadcasted on CBS and Nickelodeon, with the animated character serving as an analyst alongside SpongeBob and Patrick from the hit kids’ show SpongeBob Squarepants.
After the Chargers forced a fumble to take possession of the ball in the first quarter, Dora couldn’t resist getting in a subtle dig at the Texans.
“Did you see the defense player?” Dora popped up to say, referring to Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. “I guess the quarterback didn’t either.”
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Swiper, one of Dora’s onscreen frenemies, chimed in to add, “Now, that’s how you swipe!” (The animated explorer notably tells the fox, “Swiper, no swiping” whenever he tries to steal something.)
The NFL shared footage on its TikTok page with the caption, “She didn’t hold back 💀,” inspiring many social media comments about her shady antics.
“Dora messy for that,” one user wrote, while another quipped, “Dora dissing CJ Stroud.”
A third pointed out that Nickelodeon was “making NFL Games far better than usual.”
Dora stuck around for the entire game, popping up here and there to define illegal holding and other terms for the (presumably younger) audience before lamenting the game’s score.
“Who needs a map to find the end zone?” Dora quipped, which she previously said during the first quarter of the 2024 Super Bowl featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
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Nickelodeon has broadcast several NFL games, including the 2023 Christmas game — featuring a dedicated Taylor Swift camera as she cheered on boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs — and the most recent championship matchup. At both games, Dora teamed up with Swiper and SpongeBob to explain the plays and share the scores with viewers.
Despite the Chargers forcing a fumble and subsequent turnover early on in Saturday’s game, the Texans recovered and handily won 32-2. The L.A. team’s season is now officially over, while the Texans move forward to the divisional playoffs.
In addition to the Texans, the Chiefs — who have a bye week during NFL’s Wild Card weekend after earning the No. 1 seed ranking — are still in the running alongside the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens. The Pittsburgh Steelers also lost their Saturday game to the Ravens, eliminating them from playoff contention.
The AFC teams are all fighting for a chance to represent the conference in February’s Super Bowl against the winner of the NFC playoffs.
Super Bowl LIX takes place on Sunday, February 9, at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome and will feature a halftime performance from Kendrick Lamar.
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