The game wasn’t good, but some of the commercials were. New England clearly wasn’t ready for what Seattle was bringing to the table tonight, evidenced by the 29-13 outcome (which wasn’t even as close as the 15-point difference between the teams).

Of course, the game on the field wasn’t the only competition of the evening, nor was it the only reason NBC wanted to broadcast the game. NBC ran about 43 minutes of ads on Sunday (more or less on par with previous years), but still made much more than previous years because the cost per ad was so much higher (between $8 million and $10 million per ad, depending on the time slot). Overall, NBC should make upwards of $700 million in ad revenue, and even more when you take into account the pre- and post-game ads. That’s a pretty good day at the office.

As for the big game ads, there was the good, the bad and the ugly. Here are my top 10 and bottom 9:

1. State Farm – “Stop Livin’ on a Prayer.”
   State Farm kicked the night off with absurd confidence, piling celebrity on top of celebrity and never losing control of the joke. Funny, fast, and memorable—this one set the bar early and kept it there.
2. Budweiser – “American Icons.”
   Budweiser does what Budweiser does best: nostalgia, patriotism, and emotion, all wrapped in a stunning visual package. The Clydesdale-and-eagle imagery felt instantly iconic.
3. Bosch – “Justaguy.”
   Bosch completely subverted expectations by hiding Guy Fieri in plain sight and letting the reveal do all the work. Smart, funny, and perfectly restrained, this was a genuine surprise hit.
4. Instacart – “Bananas.”
   Instacart leaned into retro absurdity and walked away with one of the night’s most quotable ads. Ben Stiller’s physical comedy sealed the deal—and yes, we’ll all remember the bananas.
5. Dunkin’ – “Good Will Dunkin’.”
   Dunkin’ continues its Super Bowl hot streak by turning a beloved movie into a self-aware brand playground. Big laughs, endless cameos, and a brand that knows exactly who it is.
6. NFL – “Champion.”
   A simple, heartfelt tribute to youth coaches and the power of belief. The NFL kept this one grounded and sincere, and it paid off beautifully.
7. Lay’s – “Last Harvest.”
   Lay’s delivered one of the night’s most emotional moments with a father-daughter story that felt genuine and earned. Subtle, sincere, and deeply human.
8. Uber Eats – “Hungry for the Truth.”
   Uber Eats served up sharp writing and even sharper performances, with McConaughey and Cooper playing perfectly off one another. Funny, confident, and one of the night’s biggest crowd-pleasers.
9. T-Mobile – “Tell Me Why.”
   T-Mobile once again proved it knows how to stage a spectacle. The surprise Backstreet Boys concert and fan reactions made this feel joyful, generous, and genuinely fun.
10. Pepsi – “The Choice.”
    Pepsi’s bold use of Coca-Cola’s polar bears was mischievous, smart, and culturally savvy. This ad sparked conversation instantly—and that alone put it in the top tier.

Honorable Mentions:

Liquid I.V. – “Take a Look.”
Toilet seats singing Phil Collins shouldn’t work—but somehow, it absolutely did.

Xfinity – “Jurassic Park … Works.”
A clever twist on a beloved movie that made nostalgia feel fresh instead of recycled.

Ring – “Search Party From Ring.”
A genuinely smart idea that paired real-world impact with heartfelt storytelling.

Toyota – “Where Dreams Began.”
Sentimental, uplifting, and quietly effective—Toyota knows how to play the long game.

Google Gemini – “New Home.”
A restrained, emotional spot that used technology as a tool, not a gimmick.

Amazon – “Alexaaa+.”
Chris Hemsworth plus creeping paranoia turned a product demo into something memorable.

Pringles – “Pringleo.”
Silly, charming, and exactly as weird as a Pringles ad should be.

Now for the bottom 11:

No. 11 – Lay’s, “The Lay’s Challenge.”
What was meant to feel generous ended up feeling frustrating. Asking viewers to scan a code and battle a crashing website for a free bag of chips left a bad taste.

No. 10 – Illumination, “Minions and Monsters.”
A Minion runs on screen, says something in Minion-ese, and announces a movie. For Super Bowl money, this felt like very little effort.

No. 9 – Poppi, “Make It Poppi.”
A classroom turning into a soda-fueled rave was more confusing than edgy. The energy was high, but the message was nonexistent.

No. 8 – Svedka, “Shake Your Bots Off.”
Dancing AI robots looked like they were having fun, but the connection to vodka was unclear at best. Style overwhelmed substance.

No. 7 – WeatherTech, “Built for the Long Haul.”
WeatherTech once again delivered an aggressively practical ad on a night built for spectacle. It will probably sell floor mats—and still bore most viewers.

No. 6 – Wix, “The New Way to Create.”
Wall-to-wall logos—as in logic, not branding—made this feel like a software demo dropped into the wrong event entirely.

No. 5 – OpenAI, “You Can Just Build Things.”
Abstract, ambitious, and strangely cold, this felt more like a fever dream than a persuasive pitch. Big ideas, little connection.

No. 4 – Anthropic, “Can I Get a Six-Pack…?”
Most viewers likely spent the ad wondering what—or who—Claude even is. Confusion isn’t a great brand strategy.

No. 3 – MAHA Center Inc., “MAHA Real Food.”
Mike Tyson eating a carrot while lecturing America about obesity was a jarring choice. The message mattered; the platform didn’t.

No. 2 – Microsoft Copilot, “Turn Raw Data Into Insights.”
This played like a PowerPoint presentation that accidentally wandered into the Super Bowl. Informative, maybe—but instantly forgettable.

No. 1 – Coinbase, “Everybody Coinbase.”
For the second time in recent Super Bowl history, Coinbase lands firmly at the bottom. A karaoke screen and a Backstreet Boys song are not a strategy—and this felt like a complete waste of money.

One note: This year’s ads were a step up from last year’s. That being said, there weren’t a lot of great ads. There just weren’t as many bad ones either. The average for this year’s ads was more than 98 on my scale; last year’s was around 92. And this is the first year we’ve gone over 95 since 2022.

Here is the full ranking of all of this year’s 61 ads: