The Los Angeles Chargers took advantage of one of the most obscure rules in the NFL rule book on Thursday night when they successfully converted a fair-catch free kick during their 34-27 win over the Denver Broncos.
The 57-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker marked the first time that any NFL team had made a free kick since 1976. If you were confused by the rule or had never heard of it, don't worry, you're not alone. Following the game, several Chargers players admitted that they had no idea what was happening at the end of the first half.
For instance, Chargers star Joey Bosa was ready to hit the locker room before he realized that his team was going to have a chance at three more points.
"I was definitely confused," Bosa said, via the Associated Press. "I was ready to get in the locker room, but I'm happy we had a shot. I was just joking that you can play for 20 years and still have no idea what's going on on the field."
The best reaction might have come from Bud Dupree, who was so confused by the rule that he wasn't sure if the field goal would count for two points or three points.
"Everybody was trying to figure out what was going on," Dupree said, via ESPN.com. "We knew he could make it. We just didn't understand. Was it going to be a two-point or three-point, or did we get the ball on the 1? We didn't know."
You can also add Chargers running back Gus Edwards to the list of players who had no idea what was going on.
"Man, I don't know whose idea it was to kick that, but they know ball," Edwards said. "I was confused as shit. I ain't ever seen that before."
The good news for the Chargers is that there were several people on the field who were very familiar with the rule and that starts with coach Jim Harbaugh. This was actually the second time that Harbaugh has taken advantage of the free kick rule, making him the first coach since Green Bay's Curly Lambeau in 1925 to utilize the rule twice.
Basically, the rule goes like this: If a team fair catches a punt, they're allowed to attempt a free kick on the next play. The kick isn't a typical field goal, either. The "free kick" is more like a kickoff, except the kicker has to attempt the field goal off the ground and there's also a holder (The kicker also has the option to dropkick the ball, but that almost never happens).
In Thursday's game, Chargers returner Derius Davis called for a fair catch from his own 38-yard line, but L.A. got a 15 extra yards after the Broncos were called for fair catch interference. That put the ball at Denver's 47-yard, which is where Dicker got to attempt the field goal from.
"It's my favorite rule in football," Harbaugh said after the game. "I've tried to get one of those, like, every game."
Harbaugh then fondly recalled the last time he had his kicker attempt one, which came with the 49ers back in 2013 when he sent out Phil Dawson out for a 71-yard kick that missed.
"We tried one with the 49ers," Harbaugh said. "Mr. Dawson, I wanted it so bad, I tried a 71-yarder, but it is my favorite rule ... and Cam Dicker stepped up and nailed it. And I thought that was a huge momentum [booster], got the momentum back going into halftime."
Chargers special teams coach Ryan Ficken was also very familiar with the rule. Dicker said that Ficken has them practice the free kick every week.
"Looking over at (Denver's) sideline, it was funny," Dicker said, via the AP. "They were confused what was going on. We talk about it every week, so it was normal for us."
The Chargers special teams players were well-versed in the rule, but clearly, the rest of the team wasn't.
The fair-catch kick rule is very rarely used in the NFL. The last player to attempt a fair catch field goal before Thursday night was Joey Slye who missed a 60-yard attempt in 2019. Dicker's field goal attempt was actually only the sixth fair-catch kick attempted in the NFL over the past 30 years, but everyone had missed their kick before Dicker came along.
Not only was Dicker's field goal the first successful fair-catch free kick since Ray Wersching's in 1976, but it was also the longest free kick field goal in NFL history, topping the old record of 52 yards, which was set by Green Bay's Paul Hornung in 1954.