It looks like the Steelers made it to Super Bowl LV after all.
Well, a couple of former Steelers at least.
Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Jerome Bettis are among a bevy of former NFL stars making up the large ensemble cast of a Frito-Lay commercial premiering during Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast. The defending champions Kansas City Chiefs will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The commercial is part of an ad campaign called “Twas the Night Before Super Bowl” – a sequel to the popular “Twas the Night Before Kickoff” commercial that premiered during the broadcast of the NFL Kickoff game in September.
“Beast Mode” running back Marshawn Lynch returns to narrate the story. The rest of the cast reads like a who’s who of NFL elite: Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders and Peyton, Eli and Archie Manning.
But it’s former quarterback Bradshaw and running back Bettis who steal the show at about the midway point of the 1:51 commercial. They’re arguing about the Immaculate Reception, which Bradshaw insists should be called the “Immaculate Pass.”
Bettis does a credible job of playing the exasperated comic foil opposite the dimwit persona Bradshaw has cashed in on for years. Bettis insists the Blonde Bomber’s most famous pass was anything but immaculate.
“It was below the man’s ankles,” argues Bettis, a reference to Franco Harris famously catching the deflected pass just above his shoe tops in that 1972 playoff game against Oakland.
“Easy catch,” Bradshaw mutters.
“You couldn’t make that catch,” Bettis shoots back.
The two then proceed to reenact the Immaculate Reception with hilarious results. Bradshaw makes the catch all right — before crashing into a table of Frito-Lay snacks and dips. The Lays potato chips, Tostitos and Doritos hit the floor along with a dazed Bradshaw. Oh, the humanity, all that snack food going to waste. But at least ol’ number 12 wasn’t hurt in the making of this commercial.
The commercial, at least Bradshaw and Bettis’ part of it, is a winner, though it’s a bit of an odd story line since the Immaculate Reception did not lead to a Super Bowl appearance. The Steelers’ debut in the big game did not happen until two years later. No matter, we’ll just chalk it up to that reliable dramatic device known as “suspension of disbelief.”
The campaign kicks off today with versions that will air digitally and on television, and will culminate with the official debut of the commercial during the Feb. 7 game. It marks the first time Frito-Lay has aired a “portfolio” commercial on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the company.
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