BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens took sole possession of first place in the AFC North, and some will want to put an asterisk next to their name.

The Ravens sit atop the division, but they did so by crushing the winless Cleveland Browns 28-7 on Thursday night. Baltimore is the only team in the AFC North with a winning record, but its win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday came with Ben Roethlisberger at less than full strength.

It's time to hold off on the "but ..."

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes against the Browns but was intercepted twice. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Ravens (5-4) did what they had to do to turn around their season. Sure, Baltimore might not look like a playoff team in all phases of its game. The Ravens, though, might be the best team in a bad AFC North.

"What we are is what we are," wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. said. "We have to accept that, and we have to keep working hard. What are we? 5-4. We could be 4-5 or we could be 0-9. You have to appreciate where you are and not take anything for granted."

The defense is looking like a dominant one. The Ravens roughed up Cody Kessler, Josh McCown and anyone else the Browns wanted to put in at quarterback. Baltimore forced three turnovers and would have shut out the Browns if not for safety Eric Weddle losing Cleveland's No. 3 tight end in coverage.

The Ravens have one of the best kickers in the league in Justin Tucker. He remains perfect and continues to hit from anywhere on the field, converting field goals of 25 and 40 yards Thursday.

Where the Ravens have concerns is on offense, which sounds a little peculiar considering they piled up 396 yards of total offense against the Browns. But Baltimore was shut out in the first half by the NFL's 31st-ranked defense, and quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off twice to stall drives. The offensive line is beat up, losing left guard Alex Lewis to an ankle injury after already being without Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda.

The Ravens certainly are not apologizing for leading the Steelers (4-4) by a half game; the Bengals (3-4-1) are right behind.

"They're having a lot of fun in the locker room," Flacco said. "One of the toughest things to do in the world is win a game in the NFL. So when you win them, you enjoy them all."

The Ravens will get a chance to really prove themselves after a 10-day rest when they play the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 20. Until then, Baltimore has earned the right to be in first place. It's hardly ever easy, but that's the Ravens way.

"It's a huge, huge building block for us," safety Eric Weddle said. "It gives us a lot of momentum going into next week against one of the best teams in the league."