I'd never argue that Rick and co were worse than the saviours, but they weren't blameless in that scenario. This is a concept that has played a central role in twd, the blurred lines of what justice is during an apocalypse.

Rick's role as leader revolved around the things he was willing to do, which escalated as series went on until he made the mistake of killing a whole lot of Negans people while they slept.

Honestly as much as I've critiqued this show, this concept is something they've spelled out extremely clearly - you can't apply your own feelings of morality to this series and justice in this universe is how far you're willing to go to protect your own.