Bengals finished the 2012, but were eliminated after a 19–13 loss at the Houston Texans in the AFC Wildcard Game. Peko finished the game with four combined tackles. 2013 Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer retained Peko as the starting nose tackle in 2013. Peko started alongside defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson. On December 29, 2013, Peko collected a season-high eight combined tackles in the Bengals' 34–17 win against the Baltimore Ravens. He started in all 16 games and recorded 52 combined tackles (24 solo) and three sacks. The Cincinnati Bengals finished atop the AFC North with an 11–5 record in 2013 and earned a playoff berth. On January 5, 2014, Peko recorded two solo tackles as the Bengals lost 27–10 to the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Wildcard Game. 2014 On January 15, 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals promoted linebackers coach Paul Guenther to defensive coordinator after Mike Zimmer accepted the head coaching position with the Minnesota Vikings. On March 26, 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Peko to a two-year, $9 million contract extension that includes $4.40 million guaranteed. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther retained Peko as the starting nose tackle. He started alongside Wallace Gilberry and Carlos Dunlap in 2014. In Week 5, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles in the Bengals' 43–17 loss at the New England Patriots. On November 16, 2014, he tied his season-high of eight combined tackles during a 27–10 win at the New Orleans Saints in Week 11. He started in all 16 games in 2014 and recorded 46 combined tackles (26 solo) and one sack. The Cincinnati Bengals finished the season with a 10–5–1 record, but lost 10–26 in the AFC Wildcard Game at the Indianapolis Colts. 2015 On October 4, 2015, Peko made two solo tackles and made a career-high two sacks on Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith during a 36–21 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. The following week, he collected a season-high four combined tackles in the Bengals' 27–24 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. He started all 16 games at nose tackle in 2015 and recorded 35 combined tackles (17 solo), a career-high five sacks, and a pass deflection. The Bengals finished atop the AFC North with a 12–4 record in 2015, but were eliminated from the playoffs after losing 18–16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wildcard Game. 2016 Peko returned as