Chargers Broncos Week 16 Game Recap

2. Dicker’s fair catch kick ignites Bolts

Morgan Fox probably had the same reaction you did.

“Everybody was asking the same question on the sideline: What the hell are we doing?,” Fox said.

It was the fair catch kick, of course! If you need a refresher on what exactly the play is, click here.

But everyone was in agreement that Dicker’s 57-yard kick undoubtedly chance the course of the game for the Bolts.

“He kicked us ahead,” Henley said. “That’s really how I felt … the feeling, the electricity — we weren’t even winning after that kick — but to have it going into the half … everything drove from there.”

Herbert added: “For Cam to go out there and nail that kick like that, it was a huge momentum boost for us.”

The fair catch kick rule is an odd one. And rare, too, as the league hadn’t seen one since 2019.

But the Chargers — led by Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken and assistant special teams coach Chris ‘Beep’ Gould — were more than ready.

“‘Beep’ just ran over and let me know,” Dicker said. “He’s like, ‘We’re going. We’re kicking.’ I was like, ‘Perfect,'” Dicker explained. “Then looking over at their sideline was funny, they were confused on what was going on. We talk about it every week so it was a normal thing for us.”

He later added: “Ficken, Beep, we talk about it in our Friday meetings. We go through that, we go through all the scenarios that can happen.”

Harbaugh called Ficken a “situational sensei” for having the Bolts prepared. Not that the Chargers Head Coach was confused.

Harbaugh actually attempted the kick in 2013 while with the 49ers but Phil Dawson missed a 71-yard try.

“It’s my favorite rule in football,” Harbaugh said. “Just been trying to get one of those every game. It’s the first one we’ve made.

“I tried one with the 49ers. I wanted it so bad that I tried a 71-yarder,” Harbaugh added. “[Cam] nailed it and I thought it got the momentum back going into halftime.”

Dicker’s 57-yard make was the longest in NFL history when it comes to a fair catch kick.

“For me it’s the same thing as a normal field goal,” Dicker said. “You just don’t have the operations so you just go out there and just roll.”

Long snapper Josh Harris, a veteran of 205 career games, wasn’t on the field for the 3-point play.

“It’s a really rare situation to come up,” Harris said. “But we were ready to go and Fick and Beep did a good job of coaching us up. Guys were ready and awesome for Cam to go out there and execute.”

“You get points there when you’re not really expecting to, if you will. It was one piece of the puzzle tonight that came together,” Harris added. “Incredible collective effort to come out with the win.”

Harbaugh said he hardly considered trying a 47-yard Hail Mary on the untimed down at the end of the first half.

“The other option was a Hail Mary but we’ve got Cameron Dicker,” Harbaugh said.

Mack added: “I saw Dicker line up, I knew it was going to be good.”