There is always the option to try a free kick field goal after a fair catch. It isn’t used too often but Jim Harbaugh put it to good use Thursday.
Cameron Dicker of the Los Angeles Chargers nailed the free kick on an untimed down at the end of the first half to bring the Bolts within 24-13/
The rule statses: “After a fair catch is made or is awarded as the result of fair catch interference, the receiving team has the option of putting the ball in play by a snap or fair catch kick (drop kick or place kick without a tee) from the spot of the catch or succeeding spot after enforcement of any applicable penalties (3-9 and 11-4-3). This includes the 15-yard penalty enforced from the receiving team’s 20-yard line as applicable if the fair catch is made or awarded in his end zone from fair catch interference or illegal contact with the receiver after he has made a fair catch.”
A rare fair catch free kick results in a Cameron Dicker 57-yard FG for the @Chargers 🤯
It’s the first free kick FG since 1976! pic.twitter.com/yb0cyPuKnR
— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2024
For some history:
The second-to-last successful free kick field goal in the NFC was executed by Mac Percival on Nov. 3, 1968. Percival kicked a 43-yard field goal with 26 seconds left to lift the Bears to a 13-10 victory over Green Bay. (The Chargers’ Ray Wersching nailed the last free kick in 1976, a 45-yarder against the Bills.)
“People are still unaware of that rule, they don’t know about that,” Percival said in a 2011 interview with the Tribune Friday from his office in Houston.
“I swear, I don’t think any of us knew the rule at the time. And Abe Gibron (then a Bears assistant coach) was the one who told Cecil Turner, ‘Make sure you fair catch on the punt from Donny.’ So he did, and they said: ‘OK, let’s go out there and free kick.’
“Well, we had no idea what he was talking about. In fact he had to tell us, ‘Well, you line up like you’re going to do a kickoff.’ Then Richie Petitbon had his leg out like he always does to hold it. An official came up and said: ‘No, you’re offsides. Pull your leg back so you won’t be offsides when you hold the ball.’ Then they told me to try to kick it, which was fairly easy because there was no rush and no hurry. It was kind of like just being out at practice. It was quite exciting,”
