BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- The Baltimore Ravens sealed their first winning season and established a franchise record for points in a 44-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns, but their defense continued to be the story.
Baltimore (9-4) surrendered 87 yards on Cleveland's opening possession but just 25 the rest of the day en route to its fourth straight win entering a bye week.
"We went out there and refocused," Ravens cornerback Rod Woodson said. "I think it was the best overall effort all year."
Linebacker Ray Lewis had two of a season-high six sacks for the Ravens, who have allowed a total of seven points in their last two games and an average of 9.9 over their last 11.
"We've been doing it the whole year," Lewis said. "We just focus and we do it, no questions. Everything is coming together for us now. This is a perfect time for a bye week, also."
Rookie Jamal Lewis rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns, and Trent Dilfer passed for a pair of scores for Baltimore, which had 461 yards of total offense and held a 25-5 advantage in first downs.
Matt Stover kicked three field goals for the Ravens, whose previous record for points in a game since leaving Cleveland for Baltimore in 1996 was 41, accomplished twice last season. The 37-point victory margin also is a team record.
"You have to be encouraged about that," Baltimore coach Brian Billick said. "We played an overwhelming game today."
Baltimore also clinched its first winning season in five years since leaving behind its history in Cleveland, and moved a step closer to a playoff berth.
"Are we in? Until we are, I don't want to talk about it," Billick said. "This organization has never had a winning season and this is something substantial for us. It classifies us now as a winning team."
The Browns (3-10) had a 67-yard pass on their second play from scrimmage but finished the day with 28 yards rushing and lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
"We weren't executing," Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson said. "When you're playing that good a football team, you can't have mistakes. One person was always out of sync."
It was the fourth meeting between the teams since Ravens owner Art Modell moved the team from Cleveland to Baltimore. The Browns re-entered the league last season but are 0-4 against the Ravens, getting outscored, 114-26.
Today, it looked good early for the Browns as Doug Pederson found Kevin Johnson for a 67-yard completion, setting up a four-yard TD run by rookie Travis Prentice.
It was the longest play from scrimmage this season against Baltimore, which entered the day allowing a league-low 241.2 yards per game, including just 64.7 on the ground.
The Ravens also had the fourth-best running game in the league, which collected 247 yards on 51 carries and helped the team to over 38 minutes in time of possession.
Lewis, who gained a career-best 187 yards last week against Dallas, had a personal-high 30 carries while playing only 2 1/2 quarters. He has a franchise-record 1,095 rushing yards, 87 more than Priest Holmes' mark set in 1998.
"They are made to be broken," Lewis said. "But I'm not a big numbers guy. I'll just keep doing what I do. The main thing is that we won today."
Holmes added 64 yards on 17 rushes.
Lewis tied it at 7-7 with a one-yard run in the first quarter and followed the block of fullback Sam Gash for a 30-yard score and a 31-7 lead with 3:02 left in the second.
"I ran behind Sam and followed his back," Lewis said. "I just broke away."
Lewis' second TD gave the Ravens a 31-7 halftime lead and a team record for points through two quarters.
In between Lewis' scores, Dilfer threw for a pair of TD passes, finding Gash from two yards and Patrick Johnson from 40 for a 21-7 lead.
Dilfer, who is 4-1 since taking over for Tony Banks, completed 12-of-23 passes for 169 yards with an interception. The Ravens have averaged more than 25 points with him under center and fewer than 17 with Banks.
"As a whole, I think we are jelling right now," Jamal Lewis said.
Stover, a former Brown, kicked field goals of 39, 26 and 38, extending his career-high total to 31. He also reached 1,000 career points with an extra point in the fourth quarter.
Holmes scored the game's final TD, finding the end zone from three yards with 5:47 to play. It was the third rushing score of the game for Baltimore, tying a franchise record set last season against Cleveland.
After opening the scoring, the Browns went three-and-out on four straight possessions before Pederson threw an interception. They did not pick up their second first down of the first half until there was 1:50 left.
"They pounded us pretty good inside on the defensive side of the ball," Browns coach Chris Palmer said. "We didn't match up very well.
"After the touchdown, nothing really happened to help us get back on track. We didn't quit. I think we got beat up, though. They physically manhandled us in some situations."
Rookie quarterback Spergon Wynn started the second half with a fumble. He finished the game 5-of-9 for 30 yards after Pederson went 8-of-16 for 108 yards.
"It was tough at times," Wynn said. "The things that they do, they do for a reason. The NFL is the best of the best and the Ravens' defense is one of the best."
The Browns are 1-5, averaging just over eight points per game, since starting quarterback Tim Couch broke his thumb. They averaged more than 13 per game with Couch, the top draft pick in 1999.
