The Chargers came back to defeat the Broncos on “Thursday Night Football,” and perhaps the momentum shift can be attributed to a drive just before halftime, and a scoring play not noticed since 1976.
With zeros on the clock, an interference penalty against the Broncos gave the Chargers a few more yards after a Denver punt. With an advanced position on the field and an untimely stop before halftime, Jim Harbaugh took advantage of a little advantage. rule and took out Cameron Dicker for a loose kick. The ball went over the uprights at 57 yards and counted as a basket.
Dicker became the first player to convert a fumble in 48 years, making history and putting the Chargers within 8 points of a hot Broncos team. The Chargers finished their comeback in the second half to beat Denver 34-27.
What is a fair catch free kick? Here’s what you need to know about the rule and why the Chargers were able to take advantage of it Thursday.
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The fair catch free kick rule allows a team that successfully hauls in a fair catch on a punt to kick an uncontested field goal from the spot at which the ball was caught. The Chargers didn’t field the ball cleanly before Dicker’s field goal, but an interference penalty against the Broncos awarded the ball to L.A. with an extra 15 yards of field position.
The game ended with no time remaining in the second quarter, but the penalty allowed the Chargers to score one per clock. A 57-yard box goal attempt made more sense than an attempt by Hail Mary, so Harbaugh opted to kick.
Cameron Dicker plays first fair catch kick since 1976! ?#TNFonPrime pic. twitter. com/DtmO91ikEe
Goals from loose kicks are incredibly rare. Dicker was the first player to actually complete a fair kick since 1976 (coincidentally also via the Chargers) with nine failed attempts in the 48 years since. Dicker’s last goal attempt came from Joey Slye and the Panthers in 2019.
Why are free kicks so rare? In most cases, a fair catch is hauled in far away from what would be considered realistic field goal range. In rare cases where a team is in field goal range, it’s typically preferred to just bring out the offense and attempt to move down the field for either a touchdown or a closer field goal attempt.
If a free kick misses, the opposing team gets the ball from the same spot on the field. That risk, plus the rarity of the opportunity in general, make fair catch free kicks one of the NFL’s rarest plays.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said his team is in a position to do so, even if it’s very rare.
“We’re practicing. They got his leg,” Payton said on the Prime Video screen as he left the field. Even if that were true, there wasn’t much Denver could do at that point with zeros on the clock and no chance to contest the attempt.
Dicker’s 57-yard fumble box goal fell two yards short of the longest box goal of his career and cut the Chargers’ deficit to 8 at halftime.
Although the scenario is unprecedented since the last successful free kick goal before the Internet, Dicker’s unconventional goal counts as a typical goal in fantasy football.
Try saying how awesome that fumble was for someone playing opposite Cameron Dicker in the ?? playoffs.
All the major fantasy football sites gave Dicker the trouble for kicking, the rare loose throw just being the difference in some fantasy playoff games this week.
Dan Treacy is a content creator for Sporting News, which he joined in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. She has @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.