Colts Win Another Close One : AFC: Bentley’s touchdown run with 5:53 left holds up in victory over the Chiefs, 23-19.

Ron Meyer’s heart can’t take many more of the Indianapolis Colts’ late heroics.

“That’s two weeks in a row,” said the coach after his Colts rallied in the fourth quarter to a 23-19 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday.

“It was a magnificent win for us,” Meyer said. “To come back that way was an outstanding performance. I guess we can use the week off just to get the adrenaline restored in our system.”

A week earlier, the Colts beat Philadelphia on the last play of the game.

Sunday, Albert Bentley scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 10-yard run with 5:53 remaining.

“It was ugly early. We really started shaky,” Meyer said. “We had some things going but couldn’t get any continuity, any consistency. But again, to start slow and come back in the second half two weeks in a row was a pleasing sight.”

The victory eased the constant pounding the Kansas City defense put on quarterback Jack Trudeau.

“They were pressing us hard, just daring us to pass,” Meyer said. “Their first 13 points were off our turnovers. You just can’t play that shoddy. But holding them to two field goals after that was critical.”

Nick Lowery kicked four field goals and Derrick Thomas had four of the Chiefs’ seven sacks against Trudeau, but a fumble by Christian Okoye set up the winning touchdown midway through the final period.

Mike Prior’s recovery gave the Colts the ball at the Chiefs’ 21.

After a four-yard run by Trudeau and a seven-yard pass to Stacey Simmons, Bentley ran in for the touchdown to put the Colts up 20-19, their first lead of the game.

Then, Prior stopped the Chiefs with the second of three interceptions off Steve DeBerg, returning the ball 36 yards to the Chiefs’ four with just over two minutes to go.

Four plays later, Dean Biasucci kicked an 18-yard field goal, and Keith Taylor intercepted a desperation pass by DeBerg on the final play of the game.

“We get a week off, and certainly this makes it more tolerable,” Meyer said. “It gives us a chance to get ready for Denver.”

Bentley rushed for 84 yards and caught four passes for another 30. Despite the sacks, which resulted in losses of 62 yards, Trudeau was 18 of 28 for 205 yards.

DeBerg was 16 of 36 for 212 yards but was sacked four times for losses of 35 yards.

“The turnover situation got us in trouble, and we squandered scoring opportunities,” Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer said.

“The Colts are a good football team. We’ll put this one behind us. It was very obvious the turnovers hurt. We got field goals instead of touchdowns.”

Robb Thomas had the only Kansas City touchdown, a 21-yard reception from DeBerg in the first quarter. A penalty nullified another apparent touchdown and forced the Chiefs to settle for a 44-yard field goal as the first half ended.

Kansas City (3-2) built a 16-10 halftime lead to nine points in the third quarter before a 21-yard field goal by Biasucci brought the Colts (2-3) within a touchdown early in the final period.

Trudeau, intercepted twice in the first half, was sacked twice by Chris Martin on the first Indianapolis possession of the third quarter. He fumbled on the second one, giving the Chiefs the ball at the Indianapolis 40. Nine plays later, Lowery kicked his fourth field goal, a 35-yarder, for a 19-10 lead.

The first-quarter interceptions off Trudeau by Percy Snow and Jayice Pearson set up the Chiefs’ first two scores: a 37-yard field goal by Lowery and the scoring pass from DeBerg to Thomas.

Kansas City widened the lead to 13-0 on Lowery’s second field goal, a 39-yarder early in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, three plays after Biasucci kicked a 38-yard field goal, Chris Goode returned an interception 17 yards to the Chiefs’ nine.

It snapped a streak of 137 attempts by DeBerg without an interception, going back to the final game last season. Bentley took a short pass from Trudeau on the next play and carried safety Jeff Donaldson across the corner of the end zone for his first touchdown.