Dickerson Caps Colts’ Comeback, 23-12

Eric Dickerson rushed for a season-high 152 yards and completed a two-touchdown rally with a 21-yard run as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-12, Sunday.

The Colts, taking advantage of two Bengal turnovers, scored twice in a 45-second span late in the game to wrap up the victory.

First, Cincinnati’s James Brooks lost the ball while spinning through the line and linebacker Duane Bickett recovered at the Cincinnati 16-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Jack Trudeau lobbed a three-yard touchdown pass to an uncovered Albert Bentley for a 16-12 lead with 2:07 left to play.

Then Keith Taylor intercepted a pass, his second of the game, to give the Colts possession again at the Bengals’ 21. On the next play, Dickerson sprinted the 21 yards for a touchdown.

Dickerson hadn’t reached 100 yards in his last four games, when he was slowed by a strained hamstring. The hamstring held up Sunday until the clinching touchdown run, when his burst sent an ache through the muscle.

“It’s the same hamstring,” Dickerson said. “It didn’t bother me until the last run. It feels just like a cramp. It happened on about the two-yard line.”

Dickerson’s running was the key as the Colts (4-3) held onto the ball for most of the second half.

Cincinnati’s sputtering offense managed just four field goals by Jim Breech, and now has failed to score a touchdown in seven quarters.

Dickerson carried 31 times in his 17th 100-yard game for the Colts--surpassing Lydell Mitchell for the club record. He enjoyed running without pain in the hamstring, which had him considering an early retirement this week.

“I’ve been hurt the last four weeks,” Dickerson said. “When I’m hurt, the game of football is hard to sustain in practice during the week.”

But it was a pain for Cincinnati (4-3), which has lost two consecutive home games after winning 12 in a row at Riverfront Stadium the last two seasons.

The Bengals failed to get touchdowns from four deep drives, having to settle for the field goals.

“If you give them chances, give them life, they’re going to beat you,” said Boomer Esiason, who was sacked five times for 46 yards in losses. “If you talk to any one of the 45 guys that played, they’ll say, ‘Yeah, I made mistakes out there.’ Some were not as glaring as others.”

The Bengals put themselves in position to lose with their goal-line failures. The Colts also clamped down in the second half, holding Cincinnati to 70 total yards.