Halfway through the Sunday Night Football game between the Broncos and the 49ers, there was a break in the action and viewers saw Beck sitting on a stool singing one of the greatest songs of all time. “Old man look at my life I’m a lot like you were” he sang while strumming a guitar.

As he performed the Neil Young classic, footage of Patrick Mahomes began to appear on the screen. And then came footage of Tom Brady and then things started making sense.

The song about an old man and a young man thinking about his life was a perfect way to encapsulate the relationship between the two quarterbacks and to promote their matchup Sunday Night.

The idea was born when NBC turned to Cade Co. in Los Angeles for ideas to promote Sunday Night Football. Founder Nick Cade turned to some old friends to collaborate. Fortunately, one of those collaborators was the guy writing this blog post. (That’s Josh Denberg, in case you’re not a super-fan of the Small Agency Blog, which, we find hard to believe, but OK, whatever.)

As we came up with ideas for the week 4 game, the idea of Brady and Mahomes each winning their first Super Bowl at 24 years old stuck with me. “24 and there’s so much more.”

As Beck sings that line and we see footage of a 24-year-old Brady winning the Super Bowl and then of Mahomes when he won the Super Bowl at the same age, the coincidence is pretty poignant.

The song is actually about an old caretaker on Neil Young’s ranch. He tells the story in this clip from 1972 on the BBC. But it really tells the story of anyone who looks up to their elders. And Mahomes does.

Of course, haters will say, “Mahomes hasn’t come close to doing what Brady has.” No shit, Twitter-verse. But that’s the drama. That’s the tension. Mahomes is considered the only QB who might, maybe, possibly approach Brady. His success at a young age. His poise in the clutch. Plus the young star vs the Old GOAT makes the song perfect for a Sunday night matchup that might be their last. Check out the Yahoo Entertainment article here.

Thanks to Nick Cade and Beck and everyone at NBC for making this happen and especially to Neil Young who has made it clear over the years that he is no fan of advertising or commercialism. While we don’t expect he’d ever allow one of his songs to be used to sell snack chips, oil filters or insurance we appreciate the leniency on this one.

########

The Small Agency Blog is produced by Division of Labor; a top San Francisco ad agency and digital marketing firm that’s been named Small Agency of the Year twice by Ad Age. The award-winning creative shop services clients on a retainer or project basis. They also offer brand consulting services and hourly engagements for startups and smaller brands. Click here for a free consultation.