Let’s be honest, the only good part of Super Bowl LIII was the NFL 100 commercial that played right before halftime. It featured legends both old and recent, current stars, and even a handful of other celebrities. Let’s take a look at the top 10 moments from what was easily the best Super Bowl commercial in recent memory.
10. Fumble – When Mike Singletary yelled fumble, it set the tone for what would be an amazing next minute and a half. Then when Christian McCaffrey and Ndamukong Suh each sacrificed their bodies trying to get the ball, it only added to the excitement. McCaffrey is just lucky Suh only used his hands, not his feet.
9. Sam, Sherman & Saquon – They ended it strong, with 15-year-old phenom Sam Gordon spinning out the best cornerback in the game and then lateraling it to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley, who hurdled some poor fool who tried to tackle him. Saquon proceeds to run off screen as the hoard of people follow him, and since he never got tackled, I think it’s safe to assume that he wins, right?
8. The No-Looker – There was no play in the 2018 NFL season that was more signature than the Patrick Mahomes no-look pass. They even nailed how casual it was, with him exchanging pleasantries with Russell Wilson right before launching a no-looker to Odell Beckham Jr. who successfully executed his most signature play, the one-handed catch.
7. DPOY – Who else was more terrifying this season than Aaron Donald. 20.5 sacks, 25 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles propelled him to the Defensive Player of the Year award. Here, he is seen menacingly and seemingly effortlessly throwing a table and chairs out of his way while trying to get to Terry Bradshaw, who threw a jump ball leading to…
6. The Immaculate Reception – After Jalen Ramsey knocked the ball away from OBJ, Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Peterson and Derwin James, it ended up in the hands of none other Franco Harris. Not only did this recreate the famous “Immaculate Reception” that he snatched up right above his shoelaces, but it gave some love to fullbacks, a position that is slowly becoming forgotten in the modern NFL. One question does remain though: Did the ball hit the ground?
5. The Montana Sequence – After the fumble, the ball ends up in the hands of legendary quarterback Joe Montana, who launches a pass to equally legendary teammate Jerry Rice after shutting down Michael Irvin with the smooth line “No can-do Cowboy.” But then, PRIMETIME! Deion Sanders swoops in, intercepting the Montana pass before high-stepping his way through the tables. It didn’t end there, as all of a sudden Brian Urlacher charges in and tackles Deion into a table, completely demolishing it. The whole scene was just flawless.
4. The Running Backs – The ball then landed in in the arms of Todd Gurley, who saw more action in his three seconds of screen time than he did in the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl combined, at least it seemed that way. Gurley pitched it to Barry Sanders, who spun around one defender and juked another out of his shoes before running past Emmitt Smith, who made sure to remind everyone that he has more yards than both Gurley and Sanders. While it’s still early for Gurley, the debate on who’s the best running back is sure to rage on for a long time.
3. Peyton – After a quick cameo in the beginning, Peyton made a reappearance halfway through, delivering a dime to former Chargers (and Jets) running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Michael Strahan remarks to Peyton that he still has it, but Peyton grimaces, saying, “It hurt.” Short, sweet and hilarious.
2. The Defense – In my opinion, one of the best parts of the entire commercial was the defense. While the offensive players like Barry Sanders and Patrick Mahomes were out there having all the fun, the best defenders were stalking their prey, waiting for the right moment to pounce. While Tomlinson was busy catching the pass from Peyton and trucking two guys at once, Ed Reed was sneaking his way through the mess of tables, and right as LT went into his celebration pose, Reed stuck, throwing Tomlinson down into the champagne tower. Later, right after Tony Gonzalez stiff-armed someone so hard he lost his dignity, Von Miller emerged from behind the table and flipped Tony into the massive cake, much to the displeasure of Mean Joe Green. This reminded everyone that while the offense may be flashy, the defense is always lurking in the shadows, ready to cause chaos.
1. Beast Mode – Who else could have started all the madness but Marshawn Lynch? There was not a more perfect casting choice made than this one. While Commissioner Roger Goodell was giving his speech, Marshawn was fixated on the cake. He had such a grin on his face that he probably thought it was filled with Skittles. Slowly, he leaned back in his chair, reaching out trying to get a taste. After his chair tipped over, he caught himself with his already outstretched hand, which went wrist-deep into the cake, knocked the golden football ball off the top, and well, you know what happened next.
Jorge Eckardt is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at jorge.eckardt@uconn.edu.
