Did Nickelodeon broadcast put the jinx on the Chargers?
The Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday may have been on the wrong end of one of the most bizarre sports jinxes in recent memory.
The Houston Texans eliminated the Chargers from the postseason in an AFC Wild Card round matchup at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Texans ran away with a 32-12 victory after the Chargers completely fell apart in the second half.
However, the Chargers’ demise may have started way before the halftime break. With 11:39 left in the second quarter, the NFL’s kid-friendly Nickelodeon broadcast of the game ran an animated segment depicting Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh getting kidnapped by “The Dirty Bubble,” a bubble-shaped villain from the Nickelodeon show “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
Yes, the segment was as absurd as it sounds.
DIRTY BUBBLE HAS TAKEN JIM HARBAUGH pic.twitter.com/6Ivd6NuUtO
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 11, 2025
While it was all done in good fun, the bit coincidentally marked the turning point of Saturday’s game. Quarterback Justin Herbert ended up throwing an interception immediately after the “Dirty Bubble” moment.
The Chargers were then outscored 32-6 the rest of the way as Herbert had one of the worst games of his career. The Pro Bowl QB threw a career-high four interceptions, which all came after the on-screen appearance of “The Dirty Bubble.”
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh was kidnapped by Dirty Bubble with 11:39 left in the 2nd quarter.
After that moment:
🔻 Justin Herbert threw 4 INTs
🔻 Chargers were outscored 32-6
🔻 Chargers lost the game pic.twitter.com/m33CQZdQmb— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 12, 2025
Nobody could have guessed that the Texans’ winning gameplan centered around how well it defended head coach DeMeco Ryans from fictional villains.
Jokes aside, the Chargers’ brutal loss was hardly a new experience for the team’s fan base. Many said the same thing about the Chargers losing another huge game in embarassing fashion.