Cameron Dicker and the Los Angeles Chargers made history during Thursday night's 34-27 win over the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium, as Dicker successfully made the league's first fair catch free kick since 1976, taking advantage of an obscure rule.
Dicker's teammates had no idea what was going on during the historic moment.
According to NFL rules, a team that just signaled for a fair catch is allowed to attempt a field goal from the spot of the catch without the other team attempting to block it. The opposing team must be lined up at least 10 yards from the ball and the kick can either be a place kick or drop kick. The play is seldom seen in the NFL because most fair catches are made out of field goal range.
Judging by the collective confusion from the Chargers, it was the first time many of them had seen the obscure rule play out on the field.
"I was definitely confused,” Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa told The Associated Press. “I was ready to get in the locker room, but I’m happy we had a shot. I was just joking that you can play for 20 years and still have no idea what’s going on on the field. So it was a good moment. It was an important swing in momentum."
Bosa's fellow teammate on the edge Bud Dupree shared his confusion about the rule.
"Everybody was trying to figure out what was going on," Dupree told Khris Rhim of ESPN. "We knew he could make it. We just didn't understand. Was it going to be a two-point or three-point, or did we get the ball on the 1? We didn't know."
Perhaps funniest of all, Chargers running back Gus Edwards is just thankful that coach Jim Harbaugh "knows ball."
"Man, I don't know whose idea it was to kick that, but they know ball. I was confused as s---," Edwards said. "I ain't ever seen that before."
Dicker, speaking to a throng of reporters in a video shared by Bridget Condon on X (formerly Twitter), amusingly explained that he was worried his team forgot about the rule. But once the Chargers got organized, Dicker says it was the Broncos who looked confused.
Cameron Dicker breaks down the fair catch free kick 😂 pic.twitter.com/apeZOO17U7
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) December 20, 2024
"Looking over at (Denver’s) sideline, it was funny," Dicker said. "They were confused what was going on. We talk about it every week, so it was normal for us."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chargers Players Were Collectively Confused About Fair Catch Free Kick.
