The rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers is one that has divided NFL families for the better part of a century, but not often quite like this.
Packers pass-rusher and former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness is in a romantic relationship with the sister of Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
This week, just days before the teams meet at Soldier Field on Saturday night in the Wild Card Round of the NFC playoffs, Kmet had a brief message for Van Ness and the Packers about the ties of family loyalty.
“I hope, deep down, she’s rooting for us,” Kmet said, per NFL Network.
Lukas Van Ness Healthy for Playoff Game Against Bears After Injury-Plagued Year
GettyGreen Bay Packers linebacker Lukas Van Ness.
Kmet and Van Ness could square off head-to-head on certain instances throughout the course of the game, as Van Ness’s role is primarily as a pass-rusher and Kmet serves as both a pass-blocker and pass-catcher in Chicago’s two-tight end schemes — of which they run many.
Injuries have hampered Van Ness this season in what could have been a breakout campaign for him with the addition of Micah Parsons as an edge-rusher, which has pulled blocking interest away from other pass-rushers and allowed Van Ness to move inside more frequently.
Instead, he has played just nine games and tallied a career-low 1.5 sacks. The Packers will decide during the coming offseason whether to exercise the fifth-year team option on the linebacker’s contract for 2027 as a former first-round pick, though his health issues this season and lack of production across his first three campaigns (8.5 total sacks) will undoubtedly hurt that cause.
But Van Ness is back healthy for the playoffs and could prove a crucial cog for a Packers defense that has struggled down the stretch, as the team enters the postseason on a four-game losing streak.
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GettyChicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
Kmet’s production is also down year-over-year, though that is more due to scheme changes within the Bears’ offense than anything else.
The addition of head coach Ben Johnson and his run-heavy philosophy created an offensive need for another pass-catching tight end, which Chicago used its No. 10 overall pick in last year’s NFL draft to acquire in the form of Colston Loveland.
Loveland finished the season with 58 catches for 713 receiving yards and six scores, while Kmet put up 30 receptions for 347 yards and two TDs. While somewhat detrimental to Kmet’s overall production, Johnson’s offensive changes have transformed that side of the football in Chicago.
The Bears went 11-6 and won the NFC North Division in Johnson’s first year, as well as the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, after a 5-12 campaign in 2024 that included a 10-game losing streak. The offense finished sixth in the league this season with an average of 369.2 yards per game.
Meanwhile the rush attack, bolstered by Johnson’s heavy use of 12 personnel (two-tight end formations), finished third in the NFL at 144.5 yards gained per contest.
As of Thursday afternoon, Chicago was a 1.5-point home underdog against the visiting Packers.
Cole Kmet Sends 8-Word Message to Packers Defender Dating His Sister