We've had many years in which the commercials saved the game. Super Bowl LI will be remembered for the game -- and not a single commercial.
The ones that did stand out were easy because, frankly, there was so much bad.
Here are my favorites, in order:
1. Anheuser-Busch, "Born The Hard Way"
The commercial had the greatest buzz of any of the 30 or so commercials that were released before the game, and unlike with many of the others, that fact didn't hinder the social conversation.
Sure, the story was edited, but the tale of Adolphus Busch's trip to America and his part in building the biggest beer brand was perfect against the background of what's going on in this country.
Because it served the dual purpose of telling the brand's story as well, it didn't seem forced that 84 Lumber's play was on immigration. Coca-Cola's "America The Beautiful" ad, which also became political, wasn't new.
2. Tide, "Stain"
I'm putting this so high not for the actual commercial itself but for the creativity. The way it played, people on social media were led to believe that Terry Bradshaw's stain was a real stain.
The masses tweeted about it. Then came the commercial that Terry was trending and he had to do what he could to get a new shirt.
With such a lack of creativity in ad space, kudos to Tide and their partners for creating the stir they thought they would create and then allowing the audience to discover that they were just being roped in.
3. Buick, "If That's A Buick ..."
It's a simple plot that's really easy to understand.
There's a pee wee football game going on. A Buick pulls up. The quarterback's father says that if the car is a Buick, his son is Cam Newton. The son then turns into Cam Newton. The twist at the end involving Miranda Kerr hits the point home.
This is not your father's Buick.
The car company has been trying to lower its average age for more than a decade. It wasn't able to do so with Tiger Woods. I think this was Buick's most effective advertising.
4. Honda, "Chasing Dreams"
This was another car ad that benefited from simplicity.
Take the theme of "Chasing Dreams," and you start to think about where you were at certain times in life. Inevitably, your dorky high school yearbook comes into play.
Honda animated the pictures of those who became greats, including Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Amy Adams, Magic Johnson, Steve Carell, Missy Elliott, Stan Lee and Jimmy Kimmel.
It must have come out to one heckuva bill to get all of those celebs, but it was effective.
5. Skittles, "Romance"
You always have to have a silly commercial that just makes you laugh. Because we didn't have an entrant from Doritos this year, we'll go to Skittles for that.
In a twist on the boy throwing a rock at the window, this time a guy is throwing Skittles through a window to get his girl's attention.
In the beginning, it's just Katie who is catching them, but then she moves over on the couch, and a cast of characters get into the act.