GREEN BAY – When John Brown and his wife, Miriam, take their seats at Ford Field this Sunday, the couple will be treated to a sight few parents in NFL history have ever experienced.
On the visiting sideline will be their oldest son, Equanimeous St. Brown, in his No. 19 Packers uniform. On the other? Their youngest child, Amon-Ra, wearing No. 14 for the Detroit Lions.
"I'm sure it's a blast for them and I'm sure they're really proud of us, knowing that we worked hard our whole (lives)," said Equanimeous on Thursday. "I think it's cool that we're in the same division so we get to play each other twice a year and they get to knock out two birds with one stone."
Their children's path to the pros is a credit to the family's collective drive. John, a former two-time Mr. Universe and three-time Mr. World in weightlifting, served as his sons' trainer growing up.
Miriam, a native of Leverkusen, Germany, handled the academic side of things and was the driving force behind Equanimeous and his brothers being fluent in English, French and German.
Equanimeous, Amon-Ra and their middle brother Osiris all earned major Division I scholarships. Equanimeous was drafted in the sixth round out of Notre Dame in 2018, before Amon-Ra joined him in the NFL as a fourth-round pick out of USC this past spring.
"I'm really proud of him," said Equanimeous of Amon-Ra. "I know how hard he's worked his whole life. I was there side by side for most of it, so I'm really happy for him … that he's having a chance to make plays and score touchdowns."
It's not the first time John and Miriam will get to watch their sons play one another. Equanimeous and Amon-Ra previously met Week 2 at Lambeau Field but under different circumstances.
Equanimeous, cut by Green Bay at the end of training camp, was activated as a practice-squad elevation, while Amon-Ra had just two catches for 23 yards on his NFL resume at the time.
After signing to the active roster on Oct. 13, Equanimeous has been one of Green Bay's top special-teamers this season and a reliable offensive contributor who's drawn rave reviews from quarterback Aaron Rodgers over the course of the year.
Meanwhile, Amon-Ra has been one of the league's hottest receivers down the stretch. He was honored as the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month in December for his 35 catches for 340 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
With eight catches for 111 yards last Sunday in Seattle, Amon-Ra became the first rookie in NFL history to catch at least eight passes in five consecutive games, according to ESPN. He and Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson are the only players in Lions history to have at least eight receptions in four straight games.
"They move him all around. They give him the ball in the backfield. They feature him," said safety Adrian Amos of Amon-Ra. "Since (tight end T.J.) Hockenson went down, he's been getting the ball a lot more. He's one of their best players, so they find ways to get it to him."
With first place locked up in the NFC, the Packers are looking for a final tune-up in Detroit before they embark on yet another postseason run. Meanwhile, the 2-13-1 Lions enter the final days of their inaugural season under head coach Dan Campbell.
For Amon-Ra, he can think of no better way to put a stamp on a promising rookie campaign than with a win over the Packers and his older brother.
"We want to finish it strong," said Amon-Ra, who has 82 receptions for 803 yards this year. "Beating Green Bay, I feel like that's what we all want as a team. I want to beat Green Bay. I have a brother on the team. I want to beat him; all that good stuff."
