A successful fair catch free kick was the rarest way for the Los Angeles Chargers to take the lead in their Thursday night football victory over the Denver Broncos, 34–27. The unconventional move prevents the opponent from rushing the kick and permits a side to attempt a field goal from where they obtained a fair catch.
The Chargers fair caught a Broncos punt at the end of the first half. At the end of the half, the Chargers were given one untimed down because of a Broncos interference penalty.
Coach Jim Harbaugh of the Chargers chose to try a free kick down 21-10 because of the additional yardage from the penalty. The Chargers made the longest free kick in NFL history with a successful 57-yard attempt, made possible by the strength of kicker Cameron Dicker.
The kick increased the Chargers’ lead to 13 points at the half and was worth the same as a field goal. Harbaugh remarked, “Great football game,” following the match. “Let’s discuss the free kick and Cam Dicker. It’s my favorite football rule. In every game, I’ve been attempting to acquire one. The momentum returned when Cameron Dicker made it. This was our opportunity. We had the opportunity to give it a try.
The Chargers scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half after the half. By the fourth quarter, they had a 34-24 lead after scoring touchdowns on three of their first four drives in the second half. Their final score was 34-27. Dicker mentioned that Ryan Ficken, the Chargers’ special teams coordinator, had practiced the kick, but that before being trained by Ficken, he was unaware of the restriction.
There are very few attempts at free kicks. The most recent attempt was a 60-yarder made in 2019 by Joey Slye, a former kicker for the Carolina Panthers. Ray Wersching, a former kicker for the San Diego Chargers, made the last kick before Dicker’s on Thursday. That was in 1976. When Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, he made one of the most recent attempts at a free kick. When the 49ers faced the St. Louis Rams in 2013, Harbaugh had former kicker Phil Dawson try a free kick. The Chargers are now 9-6 on the season and one win away from securing a postseason berth, thanks in part to Harbaugh’s application of the peculiar rule.
