Matthew McConaughey stars in Uber Eats' NFL commercial

Food is an important part of any game day party, but Matthew McConaughey has a theory about how deep that connection runs in an ad kicking off Uber Eats' NFL campaign.

The commercial, created by agency Special US and premiering tonight on Thursday Night Football, shows McConaughey, a football in his hand, sitting on a couch with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who asks, “Why did I “Still hungry?” while munching on some fries.

McConaughey, who is known for solving tricky mysteries in his starring role on HBO's “True Detective,” explains that football is an elaborate scheme to get people to buy more food.

As evidence, he lists some of the sports terms that are also associated with food, such as turnovers, pancake blocks and scrambles, as well as the appearance of food in the names of players and coaches such as CJ Ham and Jerod Mayo. McCaffrey remains doubtful, although definitive proof comes from former 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice, sitting down with a container of fried rice.

Uber Eats, the official delivery partner of the NFL, will continue its “Football is for Food” campaign throughout the season with more seating and a gameday hub with thousands of offers.

“Everyone knows that football was invented to eat,” Georgie Jeffreys, head of marketing for North America at Uber, told ADWEEK. “Our new creative is a playful take on this silly theory, bringing to life the way we connect fans with their matchday must-haves within our app. Matthew McConaughey, a huge football fan, was the perfect person to spin this web of connections.”

Uber Eats has a big focus on football, and the brand has been running Super Bowl commercials for four years. The commercials usually combine bizarre humor with big celebrities. The Super Bowl 58 spot features Jennifer Anniston, David Schwimmer, David and Victoria Beckham, and Usher, all forgetting parts of their identities.

CREDITS

Uber eats
Vice President, Global Marketing: David Mogensen
Global Creative Director: Danielle Hawley
Marketing Manager North America: Georgie Jeffreys
Head of Integrated Marketing Campaigns, North America: Liza Keller
Global Creative Director: Ecole Weinstein
Senior Integrated Marketing Manager: Meg Fortier
Senior Marketing Manager: Stephanie Laurin
Head of Social and Digital Marketing: Kaitlyn Mendoza
Senior Communications Manager: Lexi Levin Mitchel
Deputy Creative Director: Tom Kropp
Deputy Creative Director: Jordan Rich
Head of Global Brand Partnership Marketing: Molly Spychalski
Senior Brand Partnership Manager: Kim Guluk
Senior Partnership Manager: Michael McAndrew
Head of Organic Social: Suzanne Lindbergh