By JOE KAY

The Associated Press

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are back on oh-so-familiar ground, caught in the deep slump that threatens their season at the midpoint.

Happens a lot in Cincinnati.

A 31-23 loss to Denver on Sunday left the Bengals (3-5) with a four-game losing streak. They’ve had a losing streak of at least four games in 16 of their last 22 seasons. Twice, they lost 10 in a row.

In five of those seasons, they’ve had a pair of losing streaks that went on for at least four games. Overall, it’s their 21st losing streak of four games or more during those 22 seasons.