Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is heading into the final year of his contract with the team but told ESPN that he does not expect to get a contract extension before the 2017 NFL season starts. While Lewis has been one of the more successful head coaches in the regular season, year in and year out, his NFL playoffs’ record leaves a lot to be desired and there is a chance that the Bengals might look elsewhere if Cincinnati falls short again this year.

The Marvin Lewis Bengals’ playoff drought

The biggest drawback from keeping Marvin Lewis is his below average record when it comes to the NFL playoffs. While Lewis has the Cincinnati Bengals competing every year for the playoffs, he just can’t seem to win once the postseason starts. Lewis has been a head coach in Cincinnati since 2003, one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the NFL. He won Coach of the Year in 2009 when his Bengals finished with a 10-5 record. He has also led Cincinnati to the playoffs in seven seasons, including a Cincinnati record five straight from 2011 to 2015. That is where the problems start, though.

Lewis has never won a playoff game as the head coach at Cincinnati, and after 14 seasons, he tied Jim Mora for the most NFL seasons coached without winning a playoff game.That is a huge problem in the NFL. Lewis can be as successful as he is in the regular season but it means nothing if he can't bring a Super Bowl championship to Cincinnati sooner or later.

The 2017 Cincinnati Bengals

In 2017, the Cincinnati Bengals will be their 50th anniversary as a franchise, and the 48th since joining the NFL. Marvin Lewis leads them into the season with Andy Dalton at quarterback for his sixth season. Dalton one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in his first four seasons.

Dalton holds the Bengals passing records for touchdowns and passing yards in a season. However, Lewis and Dalton head into the season looking for help. Much like his head coach, Dalton is facing criticism for not winning NFL playoff games. The team let some valuable players leave in 2016 and then missed the playoffs as a result. They bring back Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill to battle for the running back spot and still have an All-Pro receiver in A.J. Green. However, Lewis needs to really pull off an impressive 2017 NFL Draft and win his first playoff game or he might find himself out of a job after the 2017 NFL season ends.