Max has 11 tackles through his first five NFL games, rotating in the Cardinals’ subpackages and playing a key role on their special teams. During last Sunday’s 24-23 win over San Francisco, Max played half of Arizona’s 64 defensive snaps.

Gary Jr. and their sister Jasmine will be among the Meltons in attendance Sunday. Gary Jr. is excited to watch the game he saw play out in the backyard countless times, crossing his fingers his younger brothers get matched up.

“For me, I just hope they go against each other,” said Gary Jr., who’s now a probation officer in Cape May County. “Even like the Kelce family, their mom was over there like, ‘Hey, I don’t have to do much but I just root for the offense.’ Well, my mom is in the position where she really has two sons that are literally playing the antithesis of each other at receiver and corner.

“Not only are (their teams) going against each other but they’re really going against each other. It’s my hope once they’re in, depending on the side, that they’re actually head-to-head.”

If it works out that way, Max says he doesn’t see Bo beating him. Either way, he’s looking forward to a possible jersey swap with his big brother after the game.

The two played this game out in their backyard and on PlayStation a thousand times. Now, it’s almost here.

“That’s literally the moment we dreamed of,” Max said. “Two to three seconds of lining up across from him before the ball is snapped, that’s what I live for. I’m going to make the most out of the opportunity, I know he will too, and I can’t wait to see how it ends up.”

Gary Sr. fully expects to be fighting back tears once again, but how could you not? He has photos of Max and Bo playing together at Cedar Creek, Rutgers and soon the National Football League. It doesn’t get any better.

“I never planned in a million years that we would have two kids in the NFL,” said Gary Sr. “Who plans for that? Like I knew it was gonna happen? No. I think the moment for me is gonna be when they’re on the field together and I’m watching them. Someone’s gonna grab a picture of that…and that’s gonna be it for me.”

It’s been nearly a decade since Bo wrote his parents telling them he wanted to continue the Melton legacy on the gridiron. This Sunday, he and Max will take the family’s name to a place it’s never been before. That itself is reason to celebrate.

“It means everything to me and him,” Bo said. “Just the time we spent together at high school, even the time we spent in middle school, just growing up together all our lives. We were with each other in every phase – middle school, high school, college, going to the same college and now in the NFL.

“It’s just a blessing to have that. Two great parents who raised us and I’m just happy and blessed for that.”

-Cover photo illustration by Lauren Anderson, packers.com

-AZCardinals.com senior writer Darren Urban contributed