The Green Bay Packers' Xavier McKinney, front, breaks up a pass intended for the Broncos' Courtland Sutton during the second half on Dec. 14 in Denver. (AP file photo)

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have played each other more than any other two teams in the NFL. Playoff games, however, are a rarity.

The Bears and Packers will add another chapter to the league’s longest rivalry when they meet in a wild-card game at Soldier Field tonight. It’ll be just the third time the franchises of Halas and Lombardi have faced off in the postseason, and the significance wasn’t lost on the participants.

“It’s a crazy rivalry, like, and the fact that we’re playing them in the playoffs too, it just magnifies it another notch, almost,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said. “And it makes it that much more important.”

Bears tight end Cole Kmet grew up in the Chicago area and developed a strong rooting interest for any Green Bay opponent. He now has a personal tie to the Packers: His sister is dating defensive tackle Lukas Van Ness.

“It means a lot,” Kmet said. “To be able to be at home against Green Bay, it’s going to be a special atmosphere, and it almost feels like we’ve played these guys like five or six times here in the past month.”

The Bears (11-6) are hosting a playoff game for the first time since the 2018 season, when Cody Parkey’s double-doink missed field goal sealed a wild-card loss to Philadelphia.

Green Bay (9-7-1) has dominated the rivalry in recent decades, but during the past two seasons, it’s been even. Last year, both games were decided on field-goal attempts by Chicago’s Cairo Santos — one was blocked and the other was successful. Both meetings this season were close, with Green Bay winning at Lambeau Field in Week 14 and Chicago prevailing in overtime two weeks later.

Defense struggles

The Packers have lost four straight. With the No. 7 seed in the NFC locked up, they rested their top players last week at Minnesota.

Limping into the postseason was not what the Packers envisioned when they season began. A trade with Dallas for star pass rusher Micah Parsons sent expectations soaring. The two-time All-Pro suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 15 loss at Denver, and the defense has struggled without him. Green Bay blew second-half leads against the Broncos and at Chicago the following week, and then gave up 307 yards rushing while falling 41-24 at home to Baltimore.

The Packers expect to have quarterback Jordan Love back. He missed the final two regular-season games after exiting the loss at Chicago with a concussion.

Packers’ Nixon key

The Packers overtook the Bears for the NFC North lead with a 28-21 win in Week 14, hanging on thanks to an interception by Keisean Nixon in the end zone with 22 seconds remaining. Chicago had fourth-and-1 at the 14 and Williams badly underthrew Cole Kmet.

Williams got some payback two weeks later by throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in overtime for a 22-16 win. The Bears rallied from 10 points down in the final two minutes of regulation. Nixon had coverage on the winning TD, after he and Nate Hobbs left Jahdae Walker wide open on the tying score. Nixon was looking forward to playing the Bears again.

“I didn’t want nobody else,” he said. “I wanted the Bears.”

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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee contributed to this report.

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