Marvin Lewis Comments on Bengals' 2016 Season, Potential Extension, More

The Cincinnati Bengals' 2016 season was one of their worst since Marvin Lewis joined the organization, and the head coach has not made any excuses for the performance.

"There are a lot of positives, but the end result is when you don't win, that's the ultimate thing," Lewis said Wednesday, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "And there was not enough 'good enough' to win the games. That's the ultimate goal."

After reaching the playoffs in five straight seasons, the Bengals managed just a 6-9-1 record this past year. Lewis has been with the team since 2003, and this was just his fourth year with a losing record.

Although the coach has received plenty of criticism for his lack of playoff success, he has produced a 118-103-3 record in 14 seasons. However, he doesn't see much of a difference between a year like this and an early flame-out in the postseason.

"There's only one team that gets it as successful as they want it to be," Lewis said. "Everyone goes through the similar process. The overall thing, the goal is to be world champions. Only one group gets to do that."

Winning the Super Bowl is the goal for every organization, but the Bengals have yet to reach that achievement in their history. The team hasn't even won a playoff game since 1990, and it is 0-7 under Lewis in the postseason.

Still, the 58-year-old is dreaming big and believes he is capable of taking the franchise to heights it has never seen. He discussed his desire to sign a long-term contract extension.

"We'd like to agree to something at some point," Lewis said. "It puts, I think, everybody's mind at ease going forward for their futures. A lot of the people in the building, it makes it easier on them."

The Bengals have been hesitant to commit to the coach for the long term. They gave him a one-year extension in 2015 and then did the same in 2016, each time avoiding what could have been a lame-duck situation. He is signed through the 2017 season, but his future beyond that is in doubt.

He is aware his staff needs to do a better job.

"As coaches, we've got to pull more out of these players all the time," he added, per Owczarski. "The response of this is how we've done it is not quite good enough."

Despite the poor record in 2016, five of the Bengals' losses were by five points or fewer. If he can turn those games around and the team stays healthy, the Bengals could again be contenders next season.