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ON SCREEN — Whether you were rooting for Tom Brady to win his seventh Super Bowl title and set himself apart as the greatest pro quarterback the game has ever seen, or former BYU offensive lineman Andy Reid to win his second championship as a head coach, most of you were watching Super Bowl LV on Sunday night.
The rest of you were probably just watching for the commercials.
That's fine, of course; Super Bowl ads are a multibillion-dollar industry, with last year's game bringing in a year-high 102 million viewers to FOX as the country's most-watched program, according to CNN.
CBS reportedly charged $5.5 million for a 30-second spot this year, slightly down from last year in the first Super Bowl to not guarantee a spot on CBS Sports' online stream. Moving to the digital space cost brands extra.
That said, the network still sold out its inventory by mid-January — again, down slightly after FOX sold out by Thanksgiving a year ago.
Here's a list of our favorite Super Bowl ads from this year's game. We promise not to make (too much) fun of Tom Brady, either.
M&M's | "Come Together"
M&M's took a comical-in-apology approach to Super Bowl ads with a lengthy list of reasons to apologize — over a bag of M&Ms, of course.
One segment includes two suburban-looking women in a hotel lobby, where one of them says, "I'm sorry I called you Karen."
"That's my name," the other responds.
"Sorry your name is Karen," the other retorts, handing her a bag.
The spot ends with actor Dan Levy apologizing to a Green and Brown M&Ms, saying, "I promise I will not eat anymore of your friends."
When Red M&M is seen and heard banging on a nearby car window, Levy responds, "OK, it might happen one more time."
Doritos 3D | "Flat Matthew"
If you want to know how Dorito's new 3D chip is, some say it's "alright, alright, alright."
Matthew McConaughey's floats through life struggles with everyday tasks like brushing his teeth, getting flattened by a football and appearing on Jimmy Kimmel next to Mindy Kaling as the butt of the joke that some might say fell a little flat.
His zest for life is restored as he comes across a vending machine of Doritos 3D and instantly gains about 200 lbs, trapping himself inside the machine.
In reality, this commercial was terrible. But Jen liked it, so we're keeping it in.
Disney/Marvel | "Falcon and the Winter Soldier"
The Super Bowl has also become a big way to make a splash with television and movie trailers, and Disney and Marvel used theirs to advertise "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and its upcoming run on Disney+ beginning March 19.
Based on the recent success of "WandaVision" from the MCU, the series should be pretty good. Minor spoiler alert: the first five episodes of "WandaVision" have been light on action in the usually action-packed universe.
Based on the extended version of the "Falcon" trailer that dropped online as soon as the 30-second spot had aired on television, the new series starring Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan and Emily VanCamp won't have that problem.
State Farm | "Drake from State Farm"
Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Paul Rudd and "hold on is that Drake?" And of course, Drake is wearing khakis.
While everyone loves their friendly, neighborhood Jake from State Farm there comes a time when he needs a stand-in. State Farm has been teasing who they would bring in to join "Team State Farm" and its superstars. A Green Bay cheesehead is standing in for Rodgers, Rudd drops the ball in his role covering for Mahomes and Drake has a difficult time staying out of the spotlight.
Bud Light | "Bud Light Legends"
It's Super Bowl Sunday and many Americans made a stop to their local liquor store for their beer of choice before the Big Game. But what happens when there's not a Bud Light to be found? The legends assemble.
The Bud Knight, Utah's very own not-so-hometown-hero Post Malone, and other recognizable Bud Light commercial stars gather together to help an overturned beer truck bring beer to sports fans everywhere.
And with just one casualty, the Bud Light legends save the day. Dilly Dilly!
Budweiser | "Bigger Picture"
The biggest commercial of the Big Game didn't actually run during the game.
For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser did not sponsor an advertisement for its main company. There were no Clydesdales, tear-jerkers or gut-busting jokes we've come to expect from the domestic beer company (though several of the company's affiliates still purchased ad time).
Instead, Anheuser-Busch announced earlier this month that it was taking funds to help promote COVID-19 vaccine distribution and awareness in a video it released Jan. 25.
The video has more than 12 million views on YouTube.
Jeep | "The Road Ahead"
As usual, not all brands tried to use their 30 seconds to make America laugh (no matter how much we needed it after 2020).
Jeep took the inspirational route, with a journey through Middle America to highlight what the car manufacturer called the "Re-united States of America."
"It's impossible to think about where we're going without appreciating where we've been," the ad's tagline read. "Here's to the road ahead."
Cheetos | "It Wasn't Me"
Some couples fight over watching ahead of the other in their favorite show, others fight over doing the dishes, real-life married couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher fight over Cheetos. But as Shaggy advises, "just tell him it wasn't you."
Even if he caught you at the counter, saw you snacking on the sofa, in the shower and on camera: it wasn't Kunis.
So much star power in one cheesy commercial.
