What’s a chess match without a little twin telepathy?

Sydney and Chase Brown have been inseparable since birth, talk 24/7 and lean on one another for everything, except this week, they are going radio silent.

Chase (right) and Sydney (left) will face each other for the first time in their NFL career’sIllinois Athletics

This week, the identical twins are set to face one another for the first time in their young NFL careers, as Sydney and the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Cincinnati to face Chase and the Bengals.

Drafted out of Illinois in the 2023 NFL Draft, they became just the sixth pair of twins selected in the same draft over the last 40 years.

Sydney, a safety, was selected by the Eagles with the 66th pick in the third round, while Chase, a running back, was taken by the Bengals with the 163rd pick in the fifth round.

Now they meet for the first time, on opposing sides of the ball, with a lot on the line.

And for Sydney, the matchup comes just the perfect time.

Last week against the New York Giants, he played in his first game since tearing his ACL in Week 18 of last season.

Now he’s back and ready to face his brother.

Speaking to PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Sydney expressed how important this moment is to both him and Chase.

“I’m excited for it because it’s been something that we’ve been looking forward to since we were little kids,” Sydney 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.”

The Brown twins grew up in London, Canada, where they formed an inseparable bondIllinois Athletics

It’s going to be a cool moment, but it’s also going to be a huge game with major implications.

The Eagles are 4-2 and need a win to keep pace with the 5-2 Washington Commanders, while the Bengals sit at 3-4 looking to claw their way back to .500.

In other words, both teams need this one.

And the identical twins know that.

“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.

Everyone is looking forward to when the Brown brothers physically go up against one another, maybe none more so than Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.

“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,” Sirianni said. “I look forward to that collision and that tackle when it happens.”

Not only will it be all business on Sunday, it’s been all business all week for the Eagles safety and Bengals running back.

But it hasn’t been easy.

“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,” Sydney said.

“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.”

It’s just a one-week breakup for two brothers who have talked to one another every single day for 24 years.

How hard can it be?

No matter the outcome on Sunday, there’s no doubt the winning twin will make up for the lost week of communication with family bragging rights until the next matchup.

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