The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping their “love story” turns into a success story this weekend when the team begins its NFL Playoff run Saturday against the Miami Dolphins in a first-round matchup. The team began previewing this weekend’s AFC Wild Card game with a series of social media videos that describe the NFL Playoffs as a “holiday” the team’s fans can look forward to.
The playoff teasers include a hype video that references tight end Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift’s romance, as well as a Hallmark movie spoof that features Donna Kelce in her “acting debut.” The Chiefs began sharing the short video teasers on social media Tuesday. “Huddle up, Chiefs Kingdom… we’ve got a postseason story to tell,” the team posted alongside a hype video that features the team’s radio announcer Mitch Holthus sitting fireside, reading a rhyming “story” that recaps the Chiefs’ season.
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“The regular season is over and we’ve had a great year. Happy postseason, Chiefs Kingdom, the playoffs are here!” Holthus says. “It may not be a holiday, but we’ll treat it like one. Three Super Bowls to our name and the fun’s just begun.” Giving a nod to the NFL’s biggest storyline this season, the Chiefs announcer then adds, alongside videos of Kelce making several big catches: “Valentine’s Day is jealous of the love story that we have. Who could ever separate the end zone from Trav?”
The romance between Swift and Kelce, both 34, took the league by storm throughout this season, as the “Love Story” singer began appearing at Chiefs games to cheer on Kelce. The couple made things official in September, according to Swift, who has appeared at nearly every Kansas City home game this season sitting alongside Kelce’s parents Donna and Ed Kelce.
On Wednesday morning, the Chiefs shared their next playoff video, a spoof trailer for a fake Hallmark movie featuring several Chiefs figures like Holthus and Donna Kelce, as well as actors Tyler Hynes and Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish. “Amber used to love the postseason, but one moment changed everything,” narrator (and Chiefs superfan) Rob Riggle explains over the trailer, which lays out a satirical plot in which Parrish’s character is left at the altar by a man who chooses going to an NFL Playoff game over their wedding.
She later meets Hynes’ character, who also loves the Chiefs and runs a knickknack store called “Kingdom Keepsakes,” where he’s shown making friendship bracelets. Based of a lyric in Swift’s song “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” fans have started to make friendship bracelets and trade them at her shows.
Kelce has joined in on the fun as well, trading bracelets with fans at her show in Kansas City last summer. Kelce said on an episode of his podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, last summer that he had planned to give Swift his phone number on a friendship bracelet at the show — a comment that soon sparked their romance once Swift caught wind and began showing up at his games.
Love isn’t as easy for Hynes’ character Ben in the Chiefs’ new spoof film Falling for Football, however. Ben needs to hide his love for the team in order to make love work between him and Parrish’s character Amber, causing a string of comedic close calls until Amber finally finds out when she sees Ben setting up his shop through the storefront window. “Amber must call an audible before the clock runs out,” the trailer continues, explaining Parrish’s character must have a change of heart about the NFL if things will work out between them.
Parrish’s character appears to receive advice from a character played by Donna Kelce throughout the spoof film. Donna, 71, is shown in two separate scenes sharing relationship advice with Parrish. “My acting debut!” Donna excitedly shared on Instagram ahead of the trailer’s release, adding in a follow-up post: “‘Tis the Season!”
