Bragging Rights: Twin brothers prepare to face each other in Eagles vs. Bengals Week 8 matchup

Chase and Sydney Brown have spent most of their lives playing football, but Sunday’s game marks a significant milestone for the Canadian-born twins.

The brothers have always been teammates from their early days in pee wee football to their college careers at the University of Illinois.

However, that streak will end this weekend when Sydney and the Philadelphia Eagles head to Paycor Stadium to take on Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals.

“My mom doesn’t want to watch, but she wants to watch at the same time,” Chase said. “It will be interesting. I think it will be a lot of fun. It will just be a lot of fun being able to compete against him.”

This matchup also follows a recent sibling rivalry in Cincinnati. Just two games ago, Bengals cornerback Dax Hill faced off against his brother, Justice Hill, a running back for the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 5.

Since the Bengals and Eagles only face each other every four years, this could be a rare occasion for the brothers to play on the same field. Even so, they might not actually meet in play.

Sydney, drafted by the Eagles in the third round of 2023, two rounds before the Bengals picked Chase, made his season debut last week against the New York Giants after recovering from an ACL injury.

However, he only played nine snaps late in the fourth quarter, after the game had already been decided. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship remain the starting safeties for Philadelphia.

“I’m just glad he got medically cleared in time to play in this game,” Chase said.

“I’ve obviously talked some smack with my brother a little bit, but at the end of the day we’re just going to go out and do our jobs and compete and talk about it after. We’re not going to make it anything bigger than it is.”

The two will likely cross paths during the game. Sydney was heavily involved on special teams last Sunday, playing 25 snaps, just one short of the team lead.

Five of those snaps were on kickoff coverage, and Brown, who leads the Bengals with seven kick returns this season, will be looking to make an impact. Whether it’s Sydney bringing down Chase or Chase dodging him, there’s bound to be some words exchanged.

“It might happen in that moment, or it’s going to be talked about right after the game,” Chase said. “It’s definitely going to come up.”

Chase stated that no wager was necessary when asked if he and his brother had a bet on the game.

“Bragging rights. That’s the bet,” he said. “This one’s gonna last for about four years. This one’s for keeps.”

Chase and Sydney Brown are just the sixth set of twins taken in the same NFL draft over the past 40 years: Reggie and Raleigh McKenzie (1985), Kerry and Keith Cash, (1991), Ronde and Tiki Barber (1997), Paul and Pat McQuistan (2006), and Khalil and Carlos Davis (2020).

WELCOME BACK, SYDNEY BROWN 🙅‍♂️👏@Sydbrown___ | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/z05mN1MqlY

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 20, 2024

Mandatory Credit: ESPN