A look back at the last time Cleveland Indians and Browns made the playoffs in the same year

With the Cleveland Browns 5-2 and looking like a playoff team, we went way back to visit the last time both the Browns and Cleveland Indians made the postseason in the same year.

The city of Cleveland isn’t exactly title town USA. Before LeBron James led the Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016, the city of Rock and Roll hadn’t won a championship since the Browns did so in 1964 in the pre-Super Bowl era.

The Indians have the city’s longest title drought as they have not won the World Series since 1948; however, they’ve made plenty of playoff appearances since. While the Cavs also made plenty of postseason trips over the years, the Browns have not.

Cleveland’s Football squad has made the postseason 14 times in the 54-year Super Bowl era and has reached the playoffs just twice since 1990 (1994 and 2002).

However, 2020 may see the Browns finally get back to the postseason. Through seven games, Cleveland is 5-2 this season and would be the sixth seed in the AFC Playoffs if the season ended today.

The Indians are coming off their own playoff berth as, despite a short-stay in October, they did clinch the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs by finishing 35-25 in a COVID shortened season.

With such a long playoff drought and the Indians’ mixed amount of regular season success resulting in a playoff birth, it’s been a while since the Browns and Indians clinched a postseason spot in the same year. In fact, it’s been 66-years ago.

The last time both the Browns and Indians made the postseason was 1954 when the Indians battled the New York Giants in the World Series while the Browns battled the Detroit Lions in the NFL Championship Game.

Here’s a closer look back at the 1954 Indians and Browns and what the United States looked like the last time both Cleveland teams’ reached their respective postseason’s.