NFL celebrations: Titans do lay-up line, Jaguars shoot free throws

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Ever since NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell brought back celebrations, players have been getting very creative.

Sunday's celebrations included: a lay-up line, free throw shooting, the Dirty Bird, riding an invisible horse, the Irish Jig and more.

Here are some highlights.

Tennessee Titans

LeShaun Sims had a game-changing interception in the Tennessee Titans' 23-13 win against the Houston Texans in Nashville. The young cornerback stepped up and made the play with about 1:54 remaining in the contest and the Titans holding a 17-13 lead. Texans quarterback Tom Savage stepped back and fired a pass deep to his right, intended for superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Instead, the pass found Sims in the end zone for a touchback.

"I knew they were going to go to Hopkins, so when he broke inside, the quarterback threw it outside, so I just turned end around and tried to make a play on the ball," Sims told reporters after the game. "He is a really physical player, so you pretty much just have to fight fire with fire."

The cornerback turned around and ran toward the field goal, going up for a finger-roll lay-up. His Titans teammates followed suit, alternating turns and imitating a pregame lay-up line. Some of them even did euro-steps en route to the field goal rim.

"Lay-up lines! It's all about the fundamentals," the Titans tweeted.

Miami Dolphins

Tight end Julius Thomas got in a little dig at his former team when he scored against the Denver Broncos. The Miami Dolphins veteran reached pay dirt in the second quarter of a 35-9 win at Hard Rock Stadium. Thomas caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler with 9:43 remaining in the second quarter, giving the Dolphins a 9-3 lead.

After getting in for six, Thomas ran to the right corner of the end zone and sat on the ball. It looked like he was riding a horse...a Bronco. Thomas was obviously referencing his former team. The tight end spent four years with the organization before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015.

"Earlier this week [I thought], if I get an opportunity, you know you've gotta ride the Bronco one time," Thomas said after the game. "So I had a little fun with it. You don't practice end zone celebrations. You just think them and if you remember it in the moment, you just go with it. Mount the horse, that's all it is. If we had like a six-foot ball that I could have gotten some sturdiness on, but I had only one prop. It was like high school drama class, just make the best of it you can. We didn't have the Game of Thrones set."

"I had some mixed reviews."

Jacksonville Jaguars

Rookie running back Leonard Fournette reached the end zone for the first time since Week 6 in Sunday's 30-10 win against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jacksonville Jaguars star did so at the 10:38 mark in the third quarter, running five yards up the middle.

After scoring the touchdown, Fournette motioned to his teammates. Jaguars offensive lineman and wide receivers made parallel lines, perpendicular to the field goal. Fournette stepped up and pretended to be in a basketball game. He bent his knees and eyed the field goal, as if it was a basketball hoop. He flicked his wrist and let the football fly over the crossbar as his teammates celebrating the swish.

"It was pretty much me and the O-line," Fournette told reporters in his postgame comments. "We have a ton of celebrations [planned], we just have to get into the end zone more to celebrate them."

Fournette said the Jaguars had worked on the celebration "for a minute now." He also said he wasn't concerned about missing the shot because his teammates would have gotten the rebound and put it back in.

"We haven't been in the end zone a lot," he told reporters. "We're going to put it up and get it together. Like I said, it's a different Jaguars team from previous years. We have great leaders in our coaches and younger dudes, like myself, who need to take control of the team."

Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta's own Jerick McKinnon isn't wearing an Atlanta Falcons jersey, but he knows the Dirty Bird. The Minnesota Vikings running back had nine carries, compared to Latavius Murray's six totes in Sunday's 14-9 win against the Falcons. But McKinnon did his best work through the air, catching five passes for 28 yards and a score.

That touchdown came with 10:06 remaining in the second quarter. Vikings quarterback Case Keenum stepped back and delivered a short pass to the running back for a two-yard score. McKinnon ran to the right side of the end zone and performed the notorious dance.

"I grew up watching the Atlanta Falcons," McKinnon told reporters. "Jamal Anderson and the Dirty Bird. I wanted to do it two years ago when we played here but didn't have the chance. I got to do it today."

"I give myself an A, but I don't know what you all think."

Baltimore Ravens

Running back Alex Collins scored a touchdown in his third consecutive game against the Detroit Lions. The Baltimore Ravens also secured a 44-20 victory.

Collins got into the end zone on a seven-yard scamper at 12:46 in the fourth quarter.

After that score, Collins lined up with several offensive linemen and did a teammate tug of war.

He also scored with four minutes to go.

He capped off his second touchdown by running to the right side of the end zone and doing a quick Irish Jig.