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I settled into the couch just before two during the first hour of NBC's pre-game show. I haven't tracked these things, but it seemed to me that the traditional interview of the president (it began in 2004) was being aired earlier in the broadcast than normal. It was difficult to hear anything on our TV. But that was probably because it was muted.
Seattle was the favorite over New England since the match-up became official January 25. Seattle, to me, looked like the better team with a strong defense and offense. New England is solid, and it wouldn't surprise me if they kept it close into the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks joined the NFL in the mid-1970s. In its early days, believe it or not, there was a Wisconsin connection. The owner was from Monroe, Wisconsin and one of their early quarterbacks, Dave Kreig, was from Wisconsin and went to a Division III school called Milton College where he played football. (Milton College doesn't exist anymore, it closed it's doors for good May 15, 1982.)
Super Bowl Sunday isn't all about the game, there are other things that are closely watched - for that, include the half-time show and the TV commercials. As the game progresses, I'll share thoughts and observations:
Prior to kickoff:
TheIntuit ad with actor Adrian Brody was humorous as it set up a series of ads for the game as Brody learns to act like a tax-preparer.
GrubHub is a food delivery service that apparently doesn't "have any fees," while one person after another asked about the fees while sitting at a luxurious table with George Clooney.
The NBC intro to game coverage at 5pm was spectacular. After a moving re-telling of Super Bowl stories from fans and players, a parade of Super Bowl Most Valuable Players emerged from the "memory machine" where those memories were recorded. It was a good open and melted nicely into a short music set by Green Day, a rock band from the San Francisco Bay area.
The ad for Anthropic, an artificial intelligence companies was funny, I'll let you judge for yourself.
I liked the player introductions. As the teams assembled to take the field, each starter introduced themselves and their school, then a celebratory fan acted as the "hype man" to welcome them to the game, Chris Pratt for Seattle and Jon Bon Jovi for New England.
Brandi Carlisle, formerly of the Go-Go's, did a moving rendition of America the Beautiful, playing on an acoustic guitar with two players on the strings. I didn't know who Charlie Puth was before he sang the National Anthem. His version was stirring and on the nose with the flyover the stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Game Time - First Quarter
The Patriots won the coin toss and decided to kick off the game and get the kick after halftime.
After a good drive to start the game, it bogged down deep in Patriot territory so Seattle settled for a field goal.
Seattle 3 - 0 New England
State Farm introduced Half-way insurance as a way to demonstrate their product. It was the first of what will become a series of ads, I'm sure. It was nice touch having Jon Bon Jovi in the ad with "Living on a Prayer" sung.
Seahawks fans made their presence known making a lot of noise to help their defense while the Patriots had the ball. If the Hawks build a lead, it could be a factor. The Patriots moved the ball into Seattle territory, but a Seahawks sack shut down the momentum, forcing New England to punt.
The best ad in this window is by Michelob Ultra as Kurt Russell taught a novice skier how to be king for the mountain. You'll see these ads for months.
The next time New England had the ball, the Seahawks registered a second sack, forcing the Patriots to punt after three downs.
Has your head ever exploded because of an over-powered energy drink? That's what Liquid Death wants to know.
Second Quarter
Frito Lays had a winning ad following up their ad from a year ago, showing a farmer passing over the keys to the tractor to his daughter, so she can grow potatoes for Frito Lay. Tearing up over a potato chip? No, not me, that was dust.
There's a new Minions movie coming - those little guys are funny.
The next time Seattle was on defense nearly made an interception, then it was three and out and New England punted again.
The Patriots broke up what would have been a long completion on first down, on second down, Kenneth Walker ran 30 yards down the left sideline to reach New England territory. Walker broke off another dash of 29 yards. The series died inside the 20, forcing the Seahawks to kick from 39 yards, it was 6 -0 Seattle with 11:16 left in the first half.
The defense on both sides was effective but Seattle seemed to be gaining control.
T-Mobile used the Backstreet Boys in an ad, which didn't do much for me. I did like the polar bears drinking Pepsi instead of Coke, though.
Seattle collected a third sack on Drake Maye, as their reputation for defense is demonstrated, and the Patriots punt again.An ad for Redfin got the emotions flowing as a kid who just moved finds a friend. It is a feel-good ad.
The Seahawks moved the ball to midfield, showing more offense than the Patriots, then pin New England at their own 2 yard line.
In the following ad break, Bosch tooted its own horn. It doesn't advertise much, but Guy Fieri stepped out of character for their appliances and power tools.
New England got out from under the shadow of their goal posts, but no farther as they kicked back to the Seahawks with 2:50 left in the first half. The game is starting to feel like it belongs to Seattle.
At the break, a #StandUpToHate ad is a reminder good reminder to all of us to be kind.
Kenneth Walker is a difference maker for Seattle in the first half.In the break for the 2-minute warning, Intuit had another ad with Adrian Brody, he can't do acting free of drama, but Intuit can finish your taxes without it, while Universal studios showed off their amusement parks with a "little guy" showing how big he's grown.
The best commercial, in my opinion, is the Good Will Dunkin spot. It had a dozen stars from the 1990s turning back the clock in the best ad they've done in recent Super Bowls.
Seattle drove to the New England 23 yard line, facing 3rd down with 20 seconds to play. A pass to the end zone was knocked down, saving a touchdown, Seattle kicked again, making it 9 - 0 with 11 seconds left. That was the score at half-time, Seattle looks like the better team on both sides of the ball.Halftime
The ad "Belief is a Super Power," is worth it for everyone to see, especially kids and the coaches who lead them.
The performance by Bad Bunny has been discussed since he was introduced as the entertainer for intermission. I liked it. The show had a TV-show quality to it with a wedding, party, and set changes from one song to another. It was fun and unlike any halftime show I've seen. I have no idea what he sang, but I could say that about plenty of shows by "American" singers.I'm unlikely to download his latest album, but I'll say he's an entertainer much of the world looks up to, and I wouldn't mind seeing what he might develop in the future.
Third Quarter
New England received the kick and started from their own 32. The Patriots came up short on 3rd down again, at this point they have had just 4 first downs all game.
Seattle started from their own 9 and marched to the Patriot 22 where they converted their fourth field goal, going up 12 - 0.
Google Gemini, their artificial intelligence product with a beautiful ad about moving to a new house.
New England's second possession came up, forcing another punt. The Patriot defense is keeping the team in the game, but if the Seahawks get a touchdown, that could be curtains sooner than later.I didn't know Pokeman was still a thing, but there was an ad asking which character is your favorite, I guess it is.
The Patriots sacked Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold on first down, their first one in the game. Seattle couldn't move the ball, and chose to punt the ball. The Patriots got a decent return, but a penalty on the play, erased all the yardage and pushed them back to start their third time with the ball.
These next two spots are in my top five: Pringles employed Sabrina Carpenter in an ad where she creates her perfect date out of Pringles.
Another great ad belongs to Budweiser, a Clydesdale befriends a baby bird, eventually teaching it to fly.
Patriots started their next drive with a fourth sack of their quarterback. This postseason, their quarterback, Drake Maye was sacked five times in each of three previous games. This drive went nowhere, leading to their eighth punt.Seattle couldn't generate anything on a three and out, punting it back to New England. A penalty on the defense gave the Patriots their first first-down in the second half. Seattle made another sack of Maye, forcing a fumble, and getting the Seahawks the ball at the New England 37.
Fourth Quarter
The third quarter ended with Seattle on the Patriot's 26, up 12 - 0. Then a 16-yard pass from Darnold to AJ Barner scored the first touchdown of the game, and with the extra point, the Seahawks took a 19 - 0 lead with 13:24 to play.
At this point, New England needed to make some plays and connected on a 24 yard pass, followed by a shot downfield for a touchdown, After a game where the Patriots were lucky to get a first down, in 3 plays they traveled 65 yards and scored a touchdown! In just over a minute, both teams put up touchdowns, making it a 19 - 7 game,
Here's the last ad in my top five, Meal Diamond, singing to "Sweet Caroline" a ditty celebrating Hellman's Mayonnaise.
Seattle gets the ball with 12:22 after the New England score and passed for a first down. The Patriots dialed up the pressure,and forced a Seattle punt, it was a good one coming to rest at the Patriot 4 yard line with 10:40 to play.New England got a first down, then Maye ran it out to their 37. The Patriots moved near midfield on the next play, but then threw an interception which was returned to the New England 38.
Seattle's Kenneth Walker rushed for another first down, increasing his yardage for the game to 144. He's likely the MVP. He ran for another first down on the next play. Seattle stalled at the Patriot 7 and kicked their fifth field goal of the game, a Super Bowl record making it, 22 - 7.
New England couldn't respond, giving up their 6th sack of the game. The dagger came with 4:27 left when Seattle intercepted a bobbled pass by Drake Maye and took it 45 yards for their final score, 29 - 7.
New England moved the ball downfield as Seattle played to slow any Patriot progress. The Patriots scored, but the game was over, with the Seahawks earning their second Vince Lombardi trophy 29 - 13.
That's the end of the football season - the new season starts in September!
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