The Browns clinched a playoff berth on Thursday night, four days after the Lions clinched the NFC North title. And that means we’re going to see something this year we haven’t seen in three decades: The Browns and Lions both playing in the postseason.
The last time the Browns and Lions both made the playoffs was in 1994, when the Browns went 11-5 and and the Lions went 9-7 and both were wild card teams. Browns coach Bill Belichick led his team to a win over the Patriots in the wild card round before losing to the Steelers in the divisional round. Lions coach Wayne Fontes and his team lost to the Packers in the wild card round.
Since then, it’s been largely ugly for both franchises. The Lions have made the playoffs just six times since 1994 and are 0-6 in postseason games. The Browns have made the playoffs only twice since 1994 and are 1-2 in postseason games.
And, of course, the Lions and Browns have the only two 0-16 seasons in NFL history: The Lions lost every game in 2008 and the Browns lost every game in 2017.
There was a time when the Lions and Browns were the class of the NFL: In the 1950s, each team won three league championships, and they played each other in the NFL championship game four times. Neither team has been to a Super Bowl, but this is a year when long-suffering fans of both teams are dreaming big.
