Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker does something not seen in the NFL in nearly 50 years

The Los Angeles Chargers took some big shots from the Denver Broncos in the first half of their Week 16 game, but they are hanging in there, down 21-13 at halftime. The first half ended with a bang for the Chargers.

Did you know that free kicks are a thing? Many NFL fans may not have, especially since the last one was seen in the NFL in 1976. 

With eight seconds left in the first half, the Broncos were forced to punt to the Chargers. Tremon Smith was called for fair catch interference, a 15-yard penalty. That set the Chargers up for one more play, an untimed down. The team initially brought Justin Herbert onto the field but then thought better of it and called a timeout. 

Because of the penalty on the kickoff, the Chargers could attempt a free kick, something you rarely see in the NFL. In fact, a free kick has been attempted just 29 times since 1921. With a free kick, there is no snap and the defense must stand at least 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. It looks like this:

From 57 yards, Cameron Dicker drilled it with plenty of room to spare. It was the first successful free kick field goal since 1976, which ironically was done by a Chargers kicker. On November 21, 1976, Ray Wersching made a 45-yard free kick field goal. 

Since then, only eight free kicks had even been attempted before Dicker’s make on Thursday night. The last attempt came in 2019, which was a 60-yard miss by Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye in a game played in London. 

Dicker continues to stand out as one of the best Chargers kickers ever. 

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