This weekend in Pittsburgh, Rhodes and the Vikings will have a particularly challenging matchup with Antonio Brown, the three-time first team All-Pro pick.

”He’s a big play waiting to happen,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.

He’s an especially familiar face for Rhodes, too. They’re both graduates of Norland High School in Miami, two grades apart, and occasional offseason training partners in their home city.

”He’s a busy man, I’m a busy man, but when we find time to work out, we do it,” Rhodes said.

Brown had 12 receptions for 88 yards, targeted 13 times, for the Steelers on Sept. 29, 2013, against the Vikings in London. Rhodes was the third cornerback as a rookie for that game, behind Josh Robinson and Marcus Sherels, but he spent his share of time chasing Brown around the field. The Steelers move Brown back and forth to different spots in the formations often, but seeing Rhodes follow him is a sure bet on Sunday.

”Big guy, physical guy, 6-2, arms come past his knees,” Brown said. ”It’s going to be a challenge this weekend, and I look forward to it.”

Brown is coming off his sixth career game with at least eight catches and 180 yards receiving in the season opener. The NFL record is seven such games.

”We’re really going to have to work diligently to make sure we handle the leverage and the coverage on him as they move him around,” Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards said.

There’s more in play than simply a matchup of two of the elites at their position. There’s a sense of Miami pride, too. Neither player is considered a trash-talker. Rhodes described the assignment of covering Brown as a ”brotherly type thing” more than a rivalry.

”We’re happy to be going against each other and proud of each other for making it this far and achieving what we’ve achieved,” Rhodes said.

Norland has four alums in the NFL, tied for the 11th-most in the league. Florida is the leading state. Miami is the most prolific city, with 25 products of its high schools currently in the NFL.

”To be able to accomplish that and be able to line up against each other and be labeled one of the best at each position, it’s a blessing to be able to do that,” Rhodes said. ”I can tell from him and me, we’re both appreciative and thankful for it. We don’t take anything lightly.”

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AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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Rhodes and Ramsey have since emerged as two of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL, lock-down defenders in a league that puts a premium on slowing down high-powered passing games.

They’ll be on the same field for the first time Sunday when the Jaguars (2-10), who have lost seven in a row, host the Vikings (6-6), who have dropped six of seven following a 5-0 start. Because both offenses have been mostly unwatchable this season, the defenses have been forced to carry the load.

Rhodes and Ramsey certainly have done their part.

”As far as willingness to get physical, willingness to tackle, wanting to travel with No. 1 receivers each week, competitiveness, trying to lead by example and things like that, I see similarities between us,” said Ramsey, who enrolled at FSU about six months after Rhodes left school early for the NFL draft.

A fourth-year pro, Rhodes has four interceptions and 11 passes defended this season. He was at his best against Arizona’s Carson Palmer three weeks ago, when he intercepted two passes and returned one 100 yards for a touchdown that turned out to be the difference.

The 6-foot-2 Rhodes surely will be matched against former Pro Bowler Allen Robinson, who is looking to return to form after three consecutive disappointing outings.

”I think his recall is his biggest thing,” said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who is expected to return Sunday after missing last week’s game following eye surgery. ”Sometimes a year ago, every day was a new day. And this year, he gets back to doing things correctly all the time.”

The Jaguars can say the same about the 6-foot-2 Ramsey, the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Although Ramsey is still looking for his first pick, he’s made an impact in every game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey has held receivers to 50 yards or less in eight of 12 games. He’s been tasked with shadowing five No. 1 receivers – Baltimore’s Steve Smith, Indianapolis’ T.Y. Hilton, Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery, Oakland’s Amari Cooper and Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins – and only Hilton topped 75 yards.

Ramsey will get another test Sunday against Stefon Diggs, who has 75 receptions for 805 yards and two touchdowns. Ramsey and Diggs (Maryland) squared off once in college, a 63-0 victory for the Seminoles in 2013.

”I like his game, respect his game a lot,” Ramsey said. ”Always have, even in college when I got to play him a time or two. I think he’s very dynamic, lines up in different places for them. He gets a lot of targets each game, so that tells me a lot about how the coaches feel about him and how his quarterback feels about him. I’m looking forward to it, of course.”

Here are some other things to know about the Vikings and Jaguars:

HONORING SMITH: Jacksonville’s all-time leading receiver, Jimmy Smith, will be inducted into the franchise’s ring of honor at halftime. It’s also the team’s annual alumni weekend, and more than 60 former players will be on hand for Smith’s ceremony. Smith will join offensive tackle Tony Boselli (2006), former owners Wayne and Delores Weaver (2012), running back Fred Taylor (2012) and quarterback Mark Brunell (2013) in the Pride of the Jaguars. The 47-year-old Smith, whose life has been defined as much by drug addiction as football production, caught 862 passes for 12,287 yards and 67 touchdowns in 12 seasons.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: The Vikings are two games behind Detroit in the NFC North and would lose a tiebreaker to the Lions, who swept the season series. Minnesota’s 4-6 record in NFC games also would hurt in wild-card scenarios, and another loss would be devastating. ”We’ve got ourselves in a pickle now, and if you want to go to the playoffs, you’re going to have to win out,” guard Alex Boone said. ”You’re going to need help from some other teams, which I hate doing because I feel like the more you count on other teams to kind of help you, the more they want to screw you.”

VIKINGS FAN: Jaguars coach Gus Bradley grew up in Minnesota as a huge Vikings fan. His favorite player? Running back Chuck Foreman. ”At that time, they were really successful,” Bradley said. ”You rallied around them. That part of it is still there. My family is still all back there. When they’re not rooting for us, they are Vikings fans.”

MAVERICKS MEET: Vikings receiver Adam Thielen and Jaguars guard Chris Reed were teammates at Minnesota State in Mankato, where the Vikings hold training camp. They’re the only two current NFL players from the NCAA Division II school. Thielen was a senior and Reed a sophomore on the Mavericks team that lost in the 2012 national semifinals.

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