#10: Front Row Seat
No team has been a bigger surprise this season than the New York Jets. They’re playing way above their talent level right now and that’s got them feeling all sorts of confident. This became clear when wide receiver Robby Anderson decided to make himself comfortable at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium by jumping into the stands and lounging in one of their vacant front row seats.
#9: Weight Lifting
No team has owned the celebration championship belt more this season than the Pittsburgh Steelers. The sheer creativity they’ve exhibited will become prevalent on this list. It starts with Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell. He decided to pay tribute to teammate James Harrison, a player renowned for his absurd weightlifting routines, with this gem after a rushing touchdown against the Lions.
#8: KAMEHAMEHA!
Mainstream NFL fans probably didn’t get this one. Only those who are giant fans of anime will have recognized how genius this celebration was by Steelers receiver Ju Ju Smith-Schuster. The use of his arms and hands coming together and then exploding forward is a tribute to iconic Dragon Ball Z character Goku doing his trademark offensive move. It’s called the Kamehameha Wave. For those who are curious what that looks like, click here.
It's bobsled time!#GreenBayPackers #Packers pic.twitter.com/u5hvxC1eid
— Humans Are Odd (@ihopeiamanalien) October 12, 2017
#7: The Bob Sled
Often the best celebrations are ones that involve coordination between teammates. The Green Bay Packers pulled off a surprisingly good one, sending a tribute to one of the more underappreciated Olympic sports in bobsledding. It took them a bit to get in sync but finished it with a flourish after a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys.
#6: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots
Often the best celebrations are the ones that bring about a wave of nostalgia. Something that makes fans feel a sense of joy about their past. This is the perfect example. Anybody who owned toys in their childhood over the past four decades have at least a passing knowledge of the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots. A game in which two players control two robots that boxed in a ring. Whichever managed to hit the other in the chin would cause the head to pop off the body. Marvin Jones and the Lions almost nailed it here.
#5: The Free Throw
The brilliance of this celebration was two-fold. First of all was the maneuver itself. Kudos to running back Devonta Freeman for tipping the cap to the NBA with this free throw move. One must remember that Atlanta is also a major basketball town, so this could be considered a tribute to the Hawks. Where it became epic was when the video producers for Sunday Night Football, who were airing on NBC, decided to bring back the iconic NBA on NBC theme that was prevalent throughout the 1990s when basketball was king.
#4: The Home Run
Another celebration that dips into a different sport. This time it’s the Philadelphia Eagles taking to the diamond for a little batting practice. In the midst of a beat down on the Arizona Cardinals, they got together and hit the first recorded home run in NFL history. Sure the entertainment factor wasn’t as high as others but the creativity of it deserves plenty of praise.
#3: Hide-and-Seek
This is the epitome of a great end zone celebration. It’s unexpected, it’s clever and it’s funny. This time it’s Ju Ju Smith-Schuster and Le’Veon Bell together. Smith-Schuster covers his eyes and Bell retreats to behind the goal post in a classic rendition of hide-and-seek. Every single child on the planet has played this game at least once in their lives. To see grown men doing the same on a football field? It’s almost impossible for that to not bring a smile to ones’ face.
#2: Duck-Duck-Goose
It was difficult to place this celebration so high what with it coming against the Bears. Nonetheless one must be objective in these situations and it’s hard to deny that playing some duck-duck-goose in the end zone of NFL stadium takes some truly inspired work. Then again it’s easy to forget a lot of these players have kids who play this game at home. Borrowing it for a celebration isn’t that difficult a jump. Still, the Vikings were the first to ever do it and it’s the sort of celebration that can’t be improved upon.
#1: Potato Sack Race
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may be the most gifted end zone celebration artist going in the league today. Not only can he unveil some pretty impressive dance moves, he’s not above finding a way to include teammates either. This gem against the Dallas Cowboys is by far his best work to date. A simple sprint would’ve been fun, but to turn it into a potato sack race, one of the tried-and-true events of middle Americana is an absolute delight. So fitting given he did it representing Kansas City in Texas.
