Amid the chaos and excitement of the Eagles' 28-3 victory over the Giants on Sunday, safety Sydney Brown had a moment to think about this Sunday's special game against the Bengals.

Outside of his locker at MetLife Stadium, Brown, who played his first game back since tearing his ACL on the same field in Week 18 of last season, was asked about facing his twin brother, Chase, for the first time ever on Sunday.

"I'm excited for it because it's been something that we've been looking forward to since we were little kids," Brown said. "It's surreal, but we expected it. We worked for it and it's going to be cool to have that moment with him on the field."

Growing up in London, Canada, Sydney and Chase haven't had the easiest road to the NFL, but their continued connection and resilience helped them make it to the league.

The two siblings were inseparable growing up after being born just two minutes apart on March 21, 2000, but when family struggles arose, the pair had to become closer than ever.

The Browns' mother, Raechel, had them when she was only 18. A single mom, she had to do everything she could to support the boys with the help of her mother, Nancy, and her stepfather, Alan McQuillan. When the boys were young, she had a daughter, Miya, who they had to step up and help raise with their mother.

After moving around to over a dozen homes and shelters before the age of 16, Raechel knew she needed to get the boys in a position to succeed and make it to the next level.

Knowing their love of football and the potential they had to make it to the collegiate level, she helped move them to Florida, where they would attend Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton.

The twins didn't lose a game they played in during high school, and after Chase had a one-year stint with Western Michigan, they reunited at Illinois to continue their success.

In the 2022 season, the Browns helped Illinois reach its highest win total (8) since 2007.

The Browns became the sixth pair of twins selected in the same draft over the last 40 years. Sydney was selected by the Eagles in the third round (No. 66 overall) and Chase, a running back, was taken by the Bengals in the fifth round (No. 163 overall).

And although they are on different teams again now, the twins still call and talk to each other every day – but not this week.

"When it's going to cut off? Probably tonight," Sydney said in the locker room at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. "I'm going to call him because they just finished up their game too, and we'll check in for a little bit and then probably chat about what we're going to do and stuff and I'll see him at the end of the week and after the game, so, just one week.

"It'll be tough but that's my guy, somebody I talk to every single day, almost like my therapist in so many ways, so it's going to be tough. I haven't even thought about it yet, but I said earlier in the week it's going to be like a one-week breakup for the two of us."

There was a question if Sydney would be able to make it back in time for Sunday's game against the Bengals as he recovered from the torn ACL. Brown worked diligently in the comeback process and was able to make his return a week before the matchup, at the site of where he had the injury last year.

"I tore my ACL for a reason last year, and just that opportunity that I had to build a strong mindset and go through that process with Jerome (Reid, Senior Athletic Trainer) and I'm very thankful for Jerome Reid and Tom (Hunkele, Vice President of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer) and the crew for doing their best and working with me every single day, making sure I'm back to where I am now, so I owe a lot to them," Brown said.

Those around the NovaCare Complex noticed the work he put in to get back. Before Brown was cleared to practice, he stood in the end zone watching every play during Training Camp, visualizing himself out there.

"Everybody saw how hard he worked to get back. That guy, he just attacked his offseason of trying to get himself back ready to play football and the way he attacked it, in the rehab, within the training room, but also just the mental reps," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "Every time you watched him, he was getting mental reps, always behind the play. He was always just taking steps to simulate that he was in there and that guy prepared for this moment, so I'm happy that he's back and I think it'd be sweet if he gets a cool hit on his brother this week."

While this will be a historic and unforgettable memory for the Brown twins, they both are aware that at the end of the day, going out there and getting a win for their team is what matters most to them.

"I got my brother on the other side of the ball, but at the end of the day, it's just the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Philadelphia Eagles, so I'm not going to make it any more than that and just play for what it is," Sydney said.

Although it will be the first time the brothers are on opposite sides in their lives, this will not be the first time this season an Eagles safety has faced off against his twin.

Tristin McCollum and his twin, Zyon, a cornerback, were on opposite sides of each other when the Eagles played the Buccaneers in Week 4.

As Sunday inches closer and closer, Sirianni knows what the matchup means to the Brown brothers.

"I preach family a lot. I think there's a bond between twins that I won't ever understand. I'll walk by Sydney and he'll be talking to his brother, so I think that's a pretty cool thing that they get to play against each other this week," Sirianni said. "And I think the world of both of them. I think the world of Sydney because I'm around him every day, but I think his brother's a heck of a football player. I look forward to that collision and that tackle when it happens."

– Written by Liam Wichser