Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker made a 57-yard field goal on a rare "fair catch kick" to end the first half in Thursday night's NFL game against Denver.
With eight seconds left in the first half, the Broncos punted from their own 16-yard line on 4th and 12 with a 21-10 lead. Chargers received Derius Davis called a fair catch on the Chargers 38-yard line but was bumped by Broncos defensive back Tremon Smith as he tried to catch the ball, leading to a fumble and a scramble for the loose ball by both teams as time expired in the first half.
Smith was called for fair catch interference, a 15-yard penalty. Since the half cannot end on a defensive penalty, the Chargers were given an untimed down with 1st and 10 on the Broncos 47-yard line. They had the choice between snapping the ball or taking a free kick from the 47-yard line, which became an option due to the fair catch attempt with no time left in the half.
After both teams took timeouts, the Chargers lined up in kickoff formation with one of the players holding the football for Dicker, who lined up for the field goal. Dicker nailed it, leaving no doubt as the kick went straight through the uprights to cut the Chargers deficit to 21-13.
I have waited my entire life for this moment.
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog.lol) December 19, 2024 at 9:40 PM
[image or embed]
To say that this doesn't happen every day would be an understatement. The last successful field goal on a fair catch kick in the NFL was in 1976 by Ray Wersching, who happened to be kicking for the Chargers (in San Diego at the time) against Buffalo to end the first half. The parallels with this play are uncanny.
Kickers get a lot of flack when they miss kicks, so it is nice to give props to them when they make one, especially in such an unusual situation as this.
The unusual kick by Dicker turned out to be a pivotal play as it gave the Chargers some momentum heading into halftime. They scored 21 straight points in the second half to beat the Broncos 34-27.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
