If you were watching the Broncos vs. Chargers game on Thursday Night Football, you just saw something that most NFL fans will never witness in their lifetime: the rare fair catch kick. The last time this play was successfully executed was all the way back in 1976, which feels like a century ago, and it happened in one of the most unusual situations.
Here’s how it went down: At the end of the first half, the Broncos punted the ball after Coach Sean Payton’s offense failed to run enough time off the clock. The Chargers’ returner, Darius Davis, signaled for a fair catch, but Broncos player Treymon Smith made slight contact with him, drawing a penalty for fair catch interference. This set up a rare scenario, one that’s almost never seen in the NFL.
According to the NFL rulebook, when a fair catch is made or awarded due to interference and time expires, the receiving team has the option to put the ball in play either by a snap or a fair catch kick (drop kick or place kick without a tee). The Chargers, after the 15-yard penalty, chose to attempt the fair catch kick from the spot of the catch, rather than trying a Hail Mary.
This rule allowed the Chargers to take advantage of a favorable position and attempt a field goal. Since there was no defense lined up to block the kick—something that usually makes field goals harder—the Chargers had a much easier shot. Kicker Cameron Dicker stepped up and easily nailed a 57-yard field goal with no time left on the clock, giving the Chargers three points and a remarkable moment in NFL history.
This wasn’t just rare—it was historic. Dicker’s kick set the record for the longest fair catch kick ever made, a feat that had only been accomplished 26 times in NFL history. The last fair catch kick attempt before Dicker’s success was a miss by Joey Slye in 2019.
Fair catch kicks don’t happen often because they typically occur far out of field goal range. But the Broncos’ penalty gave the Chargers a shot at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And while it was a thrilling moment for Chargers fans, it was especially painful for Broncos fans to watch.
For those curious, the last successful fair catch kick before Dicker was made by Ray Worshing of the San Diego Chargers back in 1976. So, now you can say you’ve witnessed the rarest play in NFL history—unless, of course, it’s happening to your team, in which case, it’s just salt in the wound.