Chargers’ Cameron Dicker incredibly nailed the NFL’s first fair catch kick in nearly 50 years

The Los Angeles Chargers dusted off one of the most obscure rules in the NFL book to land a field goal before halftime on Thursday night.

As the Chargers trailed the Denver Broncos 21-10, the team called a fair catch on a punt as time expired in the second quarter.

Rather than just go to the locker room on what seemed to be a perfunctory play, Los Angeles elected to try what is called a free kick.

A free kick is basically where, if a team hauls in a fair catch on a punt as the clock hits zero, it can elect to take a free kick for a field goal.

Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker booted the very rare, 57-yard free kick right through the uprights to make it the first successful attempt in the NFL since 1976.

Chargers kicker Ray Wersching is the last NFL player to succeed on a free kick, giving one of the strangest NFL franchises some really bizarre football history to be proud of.

What a moment this was for Dicker and L.A.

Cameron Dicker makes the first free kick field goal since 1976! #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/sSwcJL5Gt9

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 20, 2024