The Browns are underdogs as they get ready to play the Ravens at Baltimore on Sunday.

They always seem to be underdogs when they meet up with the Ravens. In fact, it was that way from the start of the teams’ rivalry, which began in 1999 when the new Browns entered the NFL and the old Browns were in their fourth season in Baltimore.

Try as they might, the new Browns couldn’t defeat their alter-ego in four meetings in 1999 and 2000. And in two of those games, 41-9 and 44-7 losses, the Browns’ tries didn’t even come close.

Indeed, the much-hated big brother – the one that had left its home of Cleveland for supposedly greener (the color of money) pastures following the 1995 season — was pounding the daylights out of little brother. That made the sting of the franchise’s move just that much harder to swallow for Browns fans.

The Browns were hoping to change all that when they hosted Baltimore on Oct. 21, 2001 at what was then known as Cleveland Browns Stadium for the teams’ first meeting of that season.

First-year head coach Butch Davis’s club did exactly that – and then some – by using a big third quarter, a relentless pass rush and quarterback Tim Couch’s passing to gain a 24-14 victory over the defending Super Bowl champions, much to the delight of a capacity crowd of 72,818.

Much-improved Cleveland, which in upping its record to 4-2 came within one of matching its combined total of victories the previous two years, led 10-6 at halftime on rookie James Jackson’s 11-yard touchdown run and Phil Dawson’s 33-yard field goal.

Baltimore’s points came on 21- and 38-yard field goals from Matt Stover, the only player left with the franchise from its days in Cleveland (former Browns right tackle Orlando “Zeus” Brown, also a former Raven at the time, would not re-join the Ravens for his second stint until 2003).

The Browns put it away on two unanswered TDs in the third quarter, both on Couch passes, a 28-yarder to his always-favorite target, wide receiver Kevin Johnson, and a 36-yarder to rookie wideout Quincy Morgan.

That made it 24-6 and the Ravens never recovered.

Couch was efficient, completing 11 of 18 passes for 149 and the two TDs with no interceptions. Jackson rushed for 77 yards and that score on 24 carries.

Then there’s the Cleveland defense, which sacked quarterbacks Elvis Grbac, a Cleveland area native, and an end-of-his-career Randall Cunningham a combined total of seven times while also forcing three turnovers.

Finally, there was joy in Cleveland. The Browns were a lot better than they had been, and now they also had the satisfaction of punching out that mean ol’ big brother.