10:10 p.m.
GoDaddy – “Act Like You Know”
Grade: B-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

10:09 p.m.
Totino’s – “Chazmo”
Grade: D+. Ad Meter Grade: 1. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 3.

10:08 p.m.
Bosch – “The More You Bosch”
Grade: C+. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

9:51 p.m.
Booking.com – “Get Your Stay Right”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

9:50 p.m.
Dove – “These Legs”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

9:49 p.m.
Stella Artois – “David and Dave”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

9:39 p.m.
Jeep – “Owner’s Manual”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

9:17 p.m.
Poppi – “Soda Thoughts”
Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

9:16 p.m.
Hims & Hers – “Sick of the System”
Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

9:10 p.m.
Bud Light – “Big Men on Cul-de-Sac”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

9:10 p.m.
Tubi – “Cowboy Head”
Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

9:09 p.m.
Haagen-Dazs – “Not So Fast”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

9:09 p.m.
NerdWallet – “Genius Beluga”
Grade: C+. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

9:06 p.m.
Taco Bell– “The Fans”
Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

9:05 p.m.
Homes.com – “Homes.com is Still the Best”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

9:05 p.m.
Universal – “Megan 2.0”
Grade: C. Ad Meter Grade: 2. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 4.

9:04 p.m.
Lays – “The Little Farmer”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

8:54 p.m.
NERDS – “Wonderful World of Nerds”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

8:54 p.m.
FCAS – “No Reason to Hate”
Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

8:54 p.m.
Ray-Ban/Meta – “Hey Meta”
Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

8:53 p.m.
DoorDash – “DashPass Math”
Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

8:53 p.m.
Agent Force – “Gate Expectations”
Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

8:44 p.m.
Tubi – “Cowboy Head”
Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

8:41 p.m.
NFL – “Flag 50”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 9.

8:27 p.m.
Reese’s – “Don’t Eat Lava”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

8:26 p.m.
Angel Soft – “The Big Game Potty-tunity”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

8:11 p.m.
Novartis – “Your Attention Please”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

8:09 p.m.
NYU Langone – “Football Team”
Grade: B-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

8:09 p.m.
Nike – “So Win”
Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

8:02 p.m.
Budweiser – “First Delivery”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

8:02 p.m.
Pringles – “Call of the Mustaches”
Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

8:01 p.m.
Hellmann’s – “When Sally Met Hellmann’s”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 10.

8:00 p.m.
Ram Trucks – “Goldilocks”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 9.

7:53 p.m.
NFL – “Somebody”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

7:52 p.m.
Coffee-mate – “Foam Diva”
Grade: C-. Ad Meter Grade: 1. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 3.

7:51 p.m.
ChatGPT – “The Intelligence Age”
Grade: C-. Ad Meter Grade: 1. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 3.

7:47 p.m.
Duracell– “Brady Reboost”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

7:47 p.m.
Duracell– “Brady Reboost”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

7:47 p.m.
HexClad – “UFOs”
Grade: C. Ad Meter Grade: 2. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 4.

7:46 p.m.
He Gets Us – “What Is Greatness”
Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

7:45 p.m.
He Gets Us – “What Is Greatness”
Grade: B+. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

7:41 p.m.
Note: There are so many ads left to rate that I’m just going to list the airtimes and ratings for the rest of the ads for now. I’ll add my thoughts tomorrow.

7:40 p.m.
Rocket Mortgage – “Own the Dream”

Part II of the feel-good parade used John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as its celebrity. The whole idea is that home ownership is the ultimate in happy experiences, and Rocket Mortgage is the service that can take you to your new home. Watching this ad after the Google commercial should viewers back to the game in a very upbeat mood. Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

7:39 p.m.
Google – “Dream Job”

The first of two feel-good ads that win without flash, dash or celebrities. In this one, a dad uses Google’s AI to help him put together a resume for his dream job using his experience at the thing that has brought him the most joy – being a dad. It’s unlikely to finish at or near the very top, but it’s heartwarming and effective, and it definitely shows how Google (says) its AI can help its users. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 9.

7:31 p.m.
TurboTax – “Now Taxes Is So Sweet”

Just as floormats are boring, so are taxes. TurboTax enlisted Issa Rae to make their service more appealing and she did her best. But there’s only so much you can do for taxes, especially with a fairly paint-by-numbers storyline. Grade: A-. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

7:31 p.m.
WeatherTech – “Whatever Comes”

One of the things you can usually count on during the Super Bowl is a super-boring WeatherTech ad. Tonight, the floormat folks threw us a curveball by giving us an entertaining ad with seasoned ladies living their lives to the fullest, albeit with the protection of WeatherTech’s line of products. Floormats are still boring, but they’re made more attractive by this ad. Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

7:30 p.m.
Uber Eats – “Century of Craving”

Uber went to the well for a lot of winning elements to put together one of the night’s strongest ads. Food. Celebrities. Sports/pop culture references. Matthew McConaughey. It was relevant and funny, and Uber Eats should cash in as a result. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 10.

7:26 p.m.
FCAS – “No Reason to Hate”

Being against hatred it a no-brainer. That should be easy to sell, and having two of the biggest celebrities in the universe on board was a great choice. There’s no way for this ad to be super memorable, even if it was a good message. Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

7:25 p.m.
Coor’s Light – “Slow Monday”

Sloths? Cute. Lots of sloths? Very cute. Sloths with Coors Light beer? Well, not as cute as I thought it would be. Just like the Mountain Dew ad, it was a cute idea, but the payoff wasn’t the home run that I expected. I just didn’t get how Coors Light would make my post-Super Bowl Monday that much better. Grade: B+. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

7:24 p.m.
Instacart – “We’re Here”

The truth is that delivery services are here to stay, and Instacart hits a home run in this ad by invoking memories of Super Bowl commercials from the past. From Puppy-Monkey-Baby to Oscar Meyer wiener dogs to the Jolly Green Giant, Instacart made sure that we remember they can deliver it all – including the milk you forgot on the first order. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 10.

7:24 p.m.
Mountain Dew – “Kiss From a Lime”

OK, so I get Seal with his face on a seal, and “Kiss From a Rose” being changed to “Kiss From a Lime.” And Mountain Dew Baja Blast is tasty, but honestly, this one was just a little odd, and after the initial few seconds it got old quickly. Bonus points for a clever idea, but points off for making me remember Seal’s face on a seal. Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

7:21 p.m.

That’s the end of the first quarter. It was a solid beginning and the game is good so far. Let’s move on the the second quarter!

7:21 p.m.
Squarespace – “A Tale as Old as Websites”

This one was a head-scratcher. A guy (who I guess was a parody of a newspaper delivery boy) is throwing laptops through people’s windows. How is that supposed to get me to sign up for Squarespace? Mainly, it would have me chasing down the vandal who just destroyed my window. Grade: C-. Ad Meter Grade: 2. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 4.

7:21 p.m.
Red Bull – “Flying Penguins”

Red Bull has made a reputation for being a company that has built its brand through public relations instead of through advertising. They made a surprise appearance in the big game with “flying penguins,” but the ad follows the myriad of other “Red Bull gives you wings” animated spots. Penguins or not, I challenge you to try and remember the ad a week from now. Grade: C. Ad Meter Grade: 2. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 4.

7:20 p.m.
Ritz – “Salty Club”

You’d think that putting Aubrey Plaza, Michael Shannon and Bad Bunny into a commercial would generate at least a few smiles or chuckles. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. Ritz may be salty, but in this ad, it was just boring. Grade: B+. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

7:12 p.m.
Michelob ULTRA – “The ULTRA Hustle”

Other than the flag football (which we’ll see later), name another sport that’s growing like weeds. If you answered pickleball, you’re a winner. Michelob combined the popular sport with a couple of aging stars to put together one of the night’s best ads. Who knew that Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe were such great pickleball ringers? As long as Michelob ULTRA is on the line, it seems that they were unbeatable – and this ad was one of the night’s big winners. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 8.

7:12 p.m.
Cirkul– “You’ve Got Cirkul”

Giveaways seem to be a big thing tonight. Cirkul apparently is giving away 100,000 bottles to random people and (supposedly) announced (through spokesman Adam Devine) that through this ad. But the giveaway was so subtle that even after seeing the ad for the third time, I still didn’t grasp what they’re actually doing. Do I need to order something? Sign up? How do they know my address? It’s all a bit confusing. Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

7:11 p.m.
Doritos – “Abduction”

Doritos ran a contest that put a number of ads on the table, so to speak, and allowed folks on the Internet to choose the eventual winner. Honestly, I preferred “Charades” to this one, but “Abduction” isn’t a bad choice. It’s fun and it’s quintessential Doritos. It’s not going to win anything, but it’s justifiably a solid Super Bowl ad. Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

7:04 p.m.
Ray-Ban/Meta – “Hey Meta”

And sometimes, having celebrities just isn’t enough. My brother has a pair of those Meta glasses, and they’re very cool. But after watching this ad, I wasn’t screaming,”I’ve gotta go get a pair of those.” I was mainly thinking, “Why is Kris Jenner in this ad?” Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

7:04 p.m.
Homes.com – “Homes.com is the Best”

Sometimes, just being clever is enough to make you a winner. Homes.com uses its celebrities from last year – Dan Levy and Heidi Gardner – and throws Morgan Freeman into the mix, and they just repeat one phrase over and over. “Homes.com is the best.” OK, so they’re not allowed to say that, but try forgetting it once its been said that many times. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 9.

7:03 p.m.
T-Mobile – “A New Era in Connectivity”

Again, ads that follow a basic formula may be selling a great product, but sitting next to other ads that are visually stunning or entertaining will make them suffer by comparison. T-Mobile is introducing something very cool here, and I’m excited because I’m a T-Mobile customer. It’s just not very memorable. Grade: B. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 6.

6:56 p.m.
Little Caesars – “Whoa!”

This was one of the first ads to be released before the Super Bowl, and at this point it’s easily the frontrunner for the night. Eugene Levy is very likable, and his eyebrows are his most recognizable feature. His daughter, Sarah, is a nice add-on, but the concept is fun and I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 10.

6:55 p.m.
MSC Cruises – “Let’s Holiday”

Cruises should be something that is easy to have fun with. Then why wasn’t this ad more fun? Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom are cool and attractive, but the interaction between them doesn’t really click, and I don’t care as much about the cruise line as they want me to. Grade: A. Ad Meter Grade: 4. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 7.

6:54 p.m.
Marvel – “Thunderbolts”

Reference the review for “How to Train a Dragon,” but just less interesting. I already can’t remember anything about what I saw. Grade: C+. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

6:49 p.m.
Pfizer – “Knockout”

OK, so it’s Pfizer, but a good ad is a good ad. I saw that someone said this was good until they realized it was Pfizer. I never want to be so blinded by preconceptions that I can’t give credit where it’s due. This ad is a winner, plain and simple. The kid boxer leaves the hospital to the cheers of people throughout the city until he reaches his home, where he’s embraced by his parents. We should always cheer when cancer is defeated, and Pfizer is celebrating breakthroughs in that area. I cheer with them, including cheering for this commercial. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 10.

6:49 p.m.
Dreamworks – “How to Train Your Dragon”

Movie ads are at a disadvantage in the Super Bowl. Even if its an entertaining movie, it won’t seem as cool as the inventive ads for other products. This movie seems like it will be cool, but honestly, will you remember the trailer tomorrow? Probably not. Grade: B-. Ad Meter Grade: 3. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 5.

Note: I’ve had to attend to some things on the home front, so I’m way behind on writing these updates, but they ARE coming. Thanks for your patience!

6:48 p.m.
Dunkin’ – “DunKings 2”

Dunkin’ starts us out by revisiting their winning DunKings formula, complete with celebrities that include Ben Affleck and Bill Belichick. It’s not as strong as its predecessor, but going first has to count for something, and it was still good enough to make people remember donuts and coffee. Grade: A+. Ad Meter Grade: 5. Ad Meter Grade (Old): 10.

5:54 p.m.

The game is just over 30 minutes away! USA Today has 38 ads on its site, but more than 60 are expected. We will once again be here live blogging every commercial during the big game. My formula will once again be driving my ratings, and it still taps in heavily to Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion – pathos, ethos and logos.

Great – and even good – commercials should make us relate to our emotions of humor, sadness, joy, anger. That is never more true than in Super Bowl ads, which this year are going for up to a reported $8 million for a 30-second spot. (That’s could be more than $1 million more than last year’s total.) What’s amazing about Super Bowl ads is that a really good commercial will suffer by comparison. It can be really good, but not great, and that will cause it to be lost in the shuffle. Nice, touching ads that don’t hit the “home run” will often be forgotten by the end of the game.

I’ve already watched and rated most of the 38 ads that have been revealed thus far, but I’ll save my final judgment for during the game when they actually air. Please note that I’ll be giving each of the ads a letter grade and a USA Today Ad Meter grade. Again, just because a commercial gets an Ad Meter 2 doesn’t mean it’s horrible – it’s just that much below the ads that get an 4 or 5. (Note that Ad Meter changed its grades from a 10-point scale to a 5-point scale. I haven’t seen any explanation for that.) When you see my ratings, you’ll see three grades – the letter grade, the old Ad Meter 10-point grade and my number for the new 5-point scale. My letter grades will tend to be high because I grade them like a teacher – perhaps because I actually am a teacher.

As in the past, this year’s ads are again rating fairly well. So far, my average grade is a solid A. USA Today estimates at least 60 ads this year, so there are still a lot of good (and maybe bad) commercials waiting to be evaluated. (Once again, we can all be grateful that no political ads this year from either side will be on display!)

Come back frequently, because the updates will take place as often as the ads air. I’ll see you once the game begins. Here’s to a great game, and even better ads!