Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. missed the birth of his son to play in last week's game in Pittsburgh.
His fiancée's water broke on Saturday morning, just hours before buses would take players, coaches and staff from their team hotel in Pittsburgh to Acrisure Stadium.
The Bengals would go on to lose the game 34-11, but Brown's attention quickly shifted to the birth of his son.
"I watched it on FaceTime in the locker room." Brown said.
His fiancée Holly Luyah and his newborn son are both happy and healthy. Brown's two children were both born around Christmas. His oldest was born on Dec. 28. The newborn on Dec. 23. Combine that with Christmas and that makes for an expensive week.
"Good thing I'm rich," he joked.
The decision to play on Saturday isn't much of a surprise. The 27-year-old eat, sleeps and breathes football. It's one of the many reasons why the Bengals are happy to have him on the team.
"He's been really good," Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. "He's been a consistent performer and he's been one of the better linemen we've had in my time. He's been great. He's brought a lot to us. He's played well. He's battled through some things [injuries] like all guys do, but he's been really good for us and I'm happy we have him."
Brown will face the Chiefs for the first time since leaving Kansas City and signing with the Bengals in March. He's been a visitor at Arrowhead before, but this time could be a bit different.
"Haven't been back since the [Super Bowl] banner has been up. Honestly, I kinda wanna see that," Brown said with a smile. “That was the organization that gave me an opportunity to be a left tackle in this league and helped put me in position to be here. So there’s no animosity.”
Bengals-Chiefs was the top rivalry in the NFL entering the 2023 season. Sunday's matchup feels different, but there's plenty on the line for both teams.
“This is going to be a playoff-like atmosphere,” Brown said. “It doesn’t matter who we play this time of year. I’m excited. I would say that, honestly, if we were going to Seattle or San Francisco. It’s the time of year. That’s what makes these Bengals-Chiefs games so exciting because of what’s at stake.”
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