ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The last time the Elliss brothers took the field to play football against each other, they were just kids with dreams of one day playing in the NFL.

Whether it was at the park or the indoor facility at the University of Utah, the siblings always came ready to compete. And on Sunday, as the Denver Broncos host the Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High, outside linebacker Jonah Elliss is ready for the competition once again as his brother — Falcons inside linebacker Kaden Elliss — also takes the field.

"It's really exciting," Jonah said Friday. "Whoever wins gets bragging rights for a year until the next time we play. [I'm] just excited to go out there and see him. I've never played with him. So, it'll be fun to go out there and play with him."

While the brothers never faced each other in organized competition growing up, they had their fair share of matchups throughout their childhood years.

"We grew up playing football and would get our friends together for flag football or seven-on-seven two-hand touch," Kaden told DenverBroncos.com on Friday. "... Jonah was the one that if we didn't have enough guys, [I said], 'All right Jonah, you've got to come play. Come on kid.'"

Jonah, who is eight years younger than Kaden, looks back on those memories fondly even though he recalls "getting destroyed" by his older brothers and their friends.

"I wouldn't say that it really gave me confidence," Jonah said, laughing. "If anything, they broke [my confidence] down and then it helped me build it back up. It was the type of thing where they pretty much pushed me to my limits as a kid. It was just something that helped me in the future."

Kaden, however, remembers those games a little bit differently.

"He always held his own," he said. "... He's a freak athlete [and] was able to go out and juke some of our older friends."

Kaden said he remembers several instances like this throughout Jonah's childhood and high school years, and it quickly started to become clear that his brother was destined for athletic success. It began as early as little-league soccer, football and even basketball, when Jonah would dominate every time he touched the ball. While Kaden said that all his siblings were "good athletes," he could tell that Jonah just had "a little extra oomph to him."

From watching Jonah block a field-goal attempt in high school to watching his success as a college player at Utah, there were plenty of football moments that showcased his potential to succeed at the next level. The moment that stands out to Kaden the most, though, was one that took place off the football field, when Kaden returned home during Jonah's college years.

"There was a time I came back, and he was in college at this point," Kaden said. "Obviously, I knew he got a Division I scholarship offer to Utah and all that, [and] he's over there doing his thing. But I come back home, and he's gotten huge. He's like 240 [or] 245 [pounds]. I remembered this little, skinny high schooler. And he just takes off for a 360[-degree], two-handed windmill dunk in flip flops. I was just like, 'Wait what? When did he get this?'"

While Kaden laughed looking back on the moment, it sums up the potential he saw in his brother ever since he was a little kid holding his own in football games at the park.

"I knew he worked hard, and I've seen his hard work," Kaden said. "It's awesome that it's paid off so well, but there were just times when you were just like, 'This kid's got it.' He's just special."

Jonah attributes a lot of that success to following in the footsteps of those who came before him. Football has always been a family affair for the Ellisses, as siblings Christian and Noah also found success and made their way to the NFL. Christian currently plays for the New England Patriots, while Noah spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2022-23. The football DNA, though, can be traced all the way back to the siblings' father, Luther, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1995 and spent 10 seasons in the NFL.

"I think first off, it kind of starts with my dad," Kaden said. "Obviously he made it, he did the thing and we were all able to [watch]. ... But kind of [the] foundation was laid. My dad did a really awesome job of just kind of teaching us how to work in multiple aspects of life and showing us — if we want to be a professional athlete — what it's going to take."

For Jonah, this foundation was laid in more ways than one. Luther spent the final season of his NFL career with the Broncos and later served as Denver's team chaplain. Having roots in Denver is just one of the many significant connections that Jonah and his father share.

"It's awesome," Jonah said of him and his father both being Broncos. "I went to Utah where he played, too, so it's kind of cool to just follow in the footsteps that he's taken. I think it's really exciting and it's awesome, because everyone here knows my dad, and they all have great things to say about him. [He] obviously set a great environment for me coming in."

As Jonah and the Broncos prepare to host the Falcons on Sunday, though, taking the field to face his brother for the first time since they were kids playing at the park will be front of mind for the rookie. Jonah, who described him and his brother as similar players, said he even spent a lot of time during college watching Kaden's film and trying to replicate his play.

But for each thing that Jonah has learned from Kaden when it comes to football, there is another, equally valuable thing he has learned from him off the field.

"Kaden is someone that I've always looked up to," Jonah said. "Seeing what he's done as a man and as a football player, it's something that I'm striving to be. He's one of the biggest role models in my life, and to be able to share the same field with him and play with him, it's pretty awesome to have that."

As far as the 30 friends and family members that will attend the game on Sunday, Jonah said he's not sure whose jersey he expects to see more of in the stands. Kaden, though, believes the answer is clear.

"I think they'll say it's 50-50, but I bet almost everybody's going to have like a 60 percent lean to the Broncos," he said, laughing. "One, my dad was there. Two, Jonah's there, and that's little brother. You always kind of root for little brother to beat big brother, let's be honest here. ... Everybody in my family has Broncos gear, including myself. So, they probably will say [it's 50-50], but yeah, they're probably rooting for the Broncos."