What is a free kick in football? Chargers’ Cameron Dicker makes rare field goal after fair catch vs. Broncos

If the Chargers come back to defeat the Broncos on “Thursday Night Football,” the momentum shift could be attributed to a bizarre sequence just before halftime — and a scoring play not seen since 1976.

With zeros on the clock, an interference penalty against the Broncos gave the Chargers some extra yards after a Denver punt. With improved field position and one untimed down before the break, Jim Harbaugh took advantage of a little-used rule and ran Cameron Dicker out for a free kick. The ball sailed through the uprights from 57 yards out and counted as a field goal.

Dicker became the first player to convert a free kick in 48 years, making some history and suddenly bringing the Chargers back within eight points of a hot Broncos team.

What is a fair catch free kick? Here’s what you need to know about the rule and why the Chargers were able to take advantage of it Thursday.

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What is a free kick in football?

The fair catch free kick rule allows a team that successfully hauls in a fair catch on a punt to kick an uncontested field goal from the spot at which the ball was caught. The Chargers didn’t field the ball cleanly before Dicker’s field goal, but an interference penalty against the Broncos awarded the ball to L.A. with an extra 15 yards of field position.

The play ended with no time left on the clock in the second quarter, but the penalty allowed the Chargers to run one untimed down. A 57-yard field goal attempt made more sense than a Hail Mary attempt, so Harbaugh opted to kick. 

Free kick field goals are extraordinarily rare. Dicker was the first player to covert a fair catch kick since 1976 — coincidentally also by the Chargers — with nine unsuccessful attempts in the 48 years since. The last attempt before Dicker’s field goal came from Joey Slye and the Panthers in 2019.

Why are free kicks so rare? In most cases, a fair catch is hauled in far away from what would be considered realistic field goal range. In rare cases where a team is in field goal range, it’s typically preferred to just bring out the offense and attempt to move down the field for either a touchdown or a closer field goal attempt.

If a free kick misses, the opposing team gets the ball from the same spot on the field. That risk, plus the rarity of the opportunity in general, make fair catch free kicks one of the NFL’s rarest plays.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said his team was ready for it, despite it being such a rare occurrence.

“We practice it. He’s got the leg,” Payton told the Prime Video broadcast as he left the field. Even if that’s true, there wasn’t much Denver could do at that point with zeros on the clock and no ability to contest the attempt.

Dicker’s 57-yard free kick field goal was two yards shy of his career longest field goal and trimmed the Chargers’ deficit to eight at halftime.

Does Cameron Dicker’s free kick field goal count in fantasy football?

While the situation is unprecedented since the last successful free kick field goal happened before the internet, Dicker’s unconventional field goal does count as a typical field goal in fantasy football.

All major fantasy football sites gave Dicker the points for the kick, meaning the rare fair catch free kick could be the difference in some fantasy playoff matchups this week.