While all indications are that Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis is the frontrunner to be the Cincinnati Bengals' new head coach, team officials will interview one more candidate early this week before making a final decision.

	Lewis

League officials confirmed to ESPN.com that Mike Mularkey, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator, will meet with Bengals owner Mike Brown for a second time. The sitdown is expected to take place Monday or Tuesday during Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala.

Even so, Lewis -- who's desired a head coaching opportunity the last several years -- has not only emerged as the favorite for the job but one member of the NFL's workplace diversity committee assessed that he "is pretty much a lock" right now to get it.

Lewis, Mularkey and former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin are the Bengals' only candidates, with Lewis and Coughlin having interviewed twice already with Bengals officials. The two flew to Cincinnati on Thursday for separate meetings with Brown and other high-ranking franchise officials.

The Steelers' overtime loss to the Titans in Saturday night's divisional playoff game freed up Mularkey for his second interview. The Bengals had huddled with Mularkey last Saturday, one day before Pittsburgh's wild-card victory over Cleveland; the mended anti-tampering guidelines prohibit more than one contact with a coach whose team is still in the playoffs.

"Hopefully, we can get into a little more detail about the job and about my ideas for it," Mularkey said late Saturday night, after the Steelers' 34-31 loss to Tennessee. "I'm pretty exhausted right now, and disappointed, but this is an opportunity I don't want to pass on."

Mularkey, 41, acknowledged he was not as prepared as he would have liked to be for his first interview, citing his preoccupation with preparations for the wild-card game. He conceded he was "overwhelmed" by the task of designing a game plan while also updating his resume.

He won't have much time to prepare for another go-around with the Bengals, either, but believes he has sufficient time this time to make a better presentation.

One of the NFL's most innovative offensive coaches, despite having been Pittsburgh's coordinator for only two seasons, Mularkey will probably have to knock the socks off Cincinnati officials to stop them from awarding the job to Lewis no later than mid-week.

The sense is that momentum is in Lewis' favor, with the candidacy of Coughlin seemingly fading. Coughlin has told confidants that he remains very interested in the position, but team officials seem to be balking at part of the so-called "action plan" he pitched to them. In particular, they are wary that Coughlin wants some members of the support staff, such as the equipment man and video director, to come under his purview.

Lewis has also sought to enhance the Bengals' operation, which for years has featured the fewest scouts and assistant coaches in the NFL, but he has not asked for the degree of clout Coughlin wants.

Lewis is said to be anxious that the search now appears to be two or three more days from a resolution. But team officials have told Lewis to remain patient and hinted to him that he is in good standing to gain his first head coaching opportunity.

Mularkey, meanwhile, will try to come from behind, just as Pittsburgh's offense had been forced to do in both its playoff games.

"I appreciate the opportunity Mr. Brown is giving me," Mularkey said. "He didn't have to wait for me but, just the fact that he is, I hope, means that he heard something he liked the last time we met."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.