History was made on the football field Thursday as the Los Angeles Chargers pulled off the NFL's first successful free-kick field goal in 48 years, then rallied from behind for a stunning win over the Denver Broncos. At the end of the first half, Chargers punt returner Derius Davis called for a fair catch but then received contact, resulting in an interference penalty for 15 yards. Because time had expired, the Chargers had the option of an untimed snap from scrimmage or an attempt at a field goal from the spot of the fair catch, at 57 yards, per NBC Sports. They went with the latter. As Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said later of the rare free kick, "I've tried to get one of those like every game."
Unchallenged, kicker Cameron Dicker (nickname "Dicker the Kicker") put the ball through the uprights with apparent ease, completing the first free-kick field goal since Ray Wersching's 45-yard kick for the San Diego Chargers in 1976 and the longest one in NFL history. "Cam Dicker stepped up and nailed it. Got the momentum back," said Harbaugh. Indeed, the field goal narrowed the Broncos' lead to 21-13 and after the Broncos scored three points to start the second half, the Chargers went on a tear, scoring 21 unanswered points, ending with a 34-27 win, per NFL.com.
Harbaugh was all smiles afterward, describing the free kick rule as his "favorite" in football. He was coach of the San Francisco 49ers when the team failed to convert a 71-yard kick in 2013, per NBC. All nine free-kick field goal attempts since 1976 have failed, per NFL.com. Still, the Chargers were practicing the move this week under special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken. "I didn't really think it'd ever happen, I was always just kinda like, 'That'd be cool if it did,'" Dicker said, per NFL.com. In the end, to convert the kick "was a pretty cool moment." (More NFL stories.)
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