The Lions' co-captain was at his honest best ahead of the round three clash at Metricon Stadium, saying a win was crucial to the Lions for many reasons.
Brown said he was impressed by Gold Coast's opening two rounds, a win against St Kilda, and competitive loss against premiers Sydney Swans.
"Clearly in the first couple of games they've developed a hell of a lot," Brown said on Tuesday, sitting alongside teammate Pearce Hanley and Suns rivals Gary Ablett and Karmichael Hunt at a joint press conference.
"They've got quality players and their guys have really started to physically mature.
"To win the first week and then push the premiers for three quarters, it's better form than we're in at the moment."
Conversely the Lions were terrible in their opening round against the Western Bulldogs before a narrow loss on Saturday against Adelaide.
The Lions hold a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over the Suns, with Gold Coast's win coming in the inaugural contest in 2011.
Brown said it was the most hotly anticipated QClash so far, given the teams' respective form lines.
"Gold Coast has probably externally got bigger expectations this year going into this game," he said.
"They beat us in that first one but didn't have many expectations on them in the first couple of years because they were a younger side.
"I think there's genuine interest in regards to the actual quality of the game, not just because it's two Queensland teams.
"It's our biggest game of the year … you don't have too many blockbusters on the schedule. It's our little blockbuster, I suppose."
While Brown said they had not lost confidence after the rocky start, he admitted winning was critical for the Lions' big-picture aspirations.
"We don't want to be zip and three.
"It is an important game. Pressure's building with the two losses … it is a big game in the context of the season for us.
"We want to be the number one, just like these guys do. At the moment we're focussed on winning on Saturday night. That'll give us bragging rights but more importantly it'll give us our first win of the season."
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
