Hallmark found the end zone with its sweeping Holiday Touchdown franchise.
The TV network announced its partnership with the NFL in 2024, creating a brand-new Countdown to Christmas flick inspired by the Kansas City Chiefs.
“This holiday season, Hallmark is all about bringing joy to the world,” Hallmark Chief Brand Officer Darren Abbott said in a statement. “Our new partnership with the NFL and Chiefs is uniquely designed to do just that — to find universal ways to spread cheer, tell heartwarming stories and build excitement for our treasured hometown brands during this very special time of year.
At the time, the Chiefs were the reigning Super Bowl champions but soared to even greater heights thanks to pop star Taylor Swift’s real life romance with tight end Travis Kelce. (Kelce’s mom, Donna, even made a cameo in Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.)
Since Holiday Touchdown’s debut in KC, the franchise has expanded to other NFL teams. Keep scrolling for a full guide:
‘A Chiefs Love Story’
The inaugural Holiday Touchdown film premiered in November 2024, following a diehard family of Chiefs fans competing to win a “Fan of the Year” trophy. Daughter Alana (Hunter King) quickly gets to know the team’s director of fan engagement, Derrick (Tyler Hynes), as he determines the contest winner.
“I don’t know that I’ll ever experience [anything] quite like that again. And it speaks to the people who are in that city,” Hynes exclusively told Us Weekly of filming in Kansas City and at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. “It seemed like it was the best of America that we got to serve with this.”
‘A Bills Love Story’
Holiday Touchdown moved to Buffalo, New York, in November 2025 for a sweet rom-com inspired by the Buffalo Bills. In the film, Morgan (Holland Roden) and Gabe (Matthew Daddario) are childhood best friends and neighbors who team up to uncover the mysterious gift giver who’s been sending Morgan’s uncle an annual Bill-themed holiday present for decades.
Much like A Chiefs Love Story, the Bills version was filmed in Buffalo and at the team’s Highmark Stadium.
“They say that these houses are in the shadow of the Highmark Stadium, and they really are,” Roden told Us in November 2025, revealing the cast even got to tailgate with the Bills Mafia fans. “We got to go to a real game where we drank out of a bowling ball. We helped clean up the ears of the man that puts mustard and ketchup all over him. I was Q-tip Girl for him.”Filming A Bills Love Story also turned Roden into a proud supporter of the New York team.
“I am 100 percent a Bills fan. It’s hard not to fall in love with the city of good neighbors,” she stated. “You go into any coffee shop restaurant [and] there’s a spirit of the Bills. Either by physical murals on the wall, flags in the front yard. It’s like the Bills’ election 24/7 there. I’m from Dallas. [As] a Cowboy fan, it’s hard to top [the Texas team], and Buffalo did it tenfold.”
‘A Bears Love Story’
Hallmark announced in June 2026 that the Holiday Touchdown was en route to Chicago for its third installment of the franchise.
“We are honored, grateful and excited to join forces with Hallmark Media, Skydance Sports and NFL Films on this special project,” Chicago Bears president and CEO, Kevin Warren, said in a statement. “As we continually look for ways to further the connection with our passionate Chicago Bears fans and amplify our global brand in creative ways, we will provide our club and our fans with the opportunity to grow together by creating a special, meaningful movie. We look forward to the work ahead alongside Hallmark Media, Skydance Sports and NFL Films, and we are energized for the product we will create together, celebrating football, family, the Chicago Bears and the holiday season.”
Lyndsy Fonseca will star as Avery opposite Robert Buckley‘s Matt. Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods and Khary Payton round out the starting lineup.
Further details about A Bears Love Story, including a story line, premiere date or potential NFL cameos, have yet to be announced.
Read the full article here
