Catch up on all the ads you missed during the big game
+ READ ARTICLEThe main show at the 2019 Super Bowl is on the field, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots facing off against Jared Goff and his Los Angeles Rams.
But there’s a big battle between the game, too, as major companies and advertisers spend millions of dollars to get your attention during the commercial breaks. While last year’s Super Bowl ratings were down slightly, more than 100 million people are expected to tune in Sunday for the big game. That’s a lot of potential customers.
As is tradition, brands are going above and beyond this year to try to make the best Super Bowl 53 commercials. Here, in our list of the best commercials of Super Bowl 2019, we recognize some of our favorite ads.
Best Super Bowl Commercial for Football Itself
You get a gold star if you can name every football phenom in this spot from the NFL itself.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Best Super Bowl Commercial That Wasn’t Actually a Commercial
Although many stars made Super Bowl ad cameos this year, the skit that started the game had its own iconic duo – Peyton Manning and actor John Malkovich.
Best Super Bowl Commercial That Hyped Game of Thrones and Beer at the Same Time
Bud Light and HBO, ‘The Bud Night’
The final season of Game of Thrones might not be set to premiere until April 14, but HBO teamed up with Bud Light to give football fans a taste of the show’s carnage.
The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Message
Bumble, ‘The Ball Is in Her Court’
Bumble, the Tinder rival wherein women make the first move, made its first Super Bowl ad this year, starring tennis superstar Serena Williams. The message? Women shouldn’t wait to go after what they want.
The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Cameos
Pepsi, ‘More Than OK’
Pepsi, which perennially lives under Coke’s shadow, has long embraced its role as an underdog in its advertising. Here, Steve Carell, Lil Jon and Cardi B assure a thirsty nation that Pepsi is just fine.
Runner-Up: Stella Artois, ‘Change Up the Usual’
Sarah Jessica Parker and Jeff Bridges return in their roles as mostly-functioning alcoholics Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude, respectively, changing up their typical drink orders for a glass/bottle of Stella. Only 90s kids will understand, or whatever.
The Best Super Bowl Commercial Featuring Beloved Superheroes
Marvel fans eager to learn more about the fate of their favorite superheroes got an adrenaline-fueled fix Sunday evening when a new spot for Avengers: Endgame debuted early into the first quarter. The 30-second mini-trailer offered brief glimpses of stars including Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Benedict Cumberbatch. The film flies into theaters April 26.
The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Mashup Song That Should Be Released As a Single, Like, Yesterday
Doritos, ‘Now it’s Hot’
It’s utterly unclear what any of this has to do with Doritos, but give us a full version of this Chance the Rapper-Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” mashup immediately. Also, let them do the halftime show.
And here’s the full version of the song:
The Super Bowl Commercial With the Best Dumb Joke
Pringles, ‘Sad Device’
If you’ve never known the wonder of stacking multiple flavors of Pringles in the same bite, you’re missing out. And so is this Amazon Echo-alike, without hands, mouth or a soul.
The Best Super Bowl Commercial That Will Hit You In The Feels
Microsoft, ‘We All Win’
Microsoft’s heartfelt Super Bowl spot features kids with developmental disabilities who’ve used the company’s new Xbox Adaptive Controller to better enjoy gaming with friends. That controller, by the way, was also one of TIME’s 2018 Best Inventions.
Runner-up: Google, ‘100 Billion Words’
Google’s heatwarming spot for its translation app was widely lauded.
The Best Super Bowl Commercial Starring Harrison Ford
Amazon, ‘Not Everything Makes the Cut’
Grumpy Harrison Ford? Check. Cute dog? Check. The stars of Broad City, astronaut twins and Forest Whitaker? Check, check, check.
The Best Commercial Featuring Alex Rodriguez, Charlie Sheen and a Flying Peanut Car
Planters, ‘Crunch Time’
Free idea: Reboot the Fast and the Furious franchise, but everybody’s driving peanut cars.
The Best Super Commercial With a Rehashing of a Seinfeld Episode
Even though this joke was better 25 years ago, when Seinfeld did it in The Raincoats, it’s always a joy to see Luke Wilson.