The recreation between the Chargers and Broncos obtained slightly complicated towards the tip of the primary half on Thursday night time when Los Angeles determined to benefit from an obscure NFL rule often known as the fair-catch kick.
With eight seconds left to play within the first half, the Broncos had been going through a fourth-and-12 from their very own 16-yard line, which was an apparent punting scenario for Denver. Chargers returner Derius Davis referred to as for a good catch on the play, and that is the place the hardly ever used fair-catch kick got here in.
Basically, the rule goes like this: If a group honest catches a punt, they’re allowed to aim a free kick on the following play. The kick is not a typical discipline aim, both. The protection has to line up 10 yards off the ball — much like a kickoff — and the protection is NOT allowed to try to block the kick. The “free kick” is extra like a kickoff, besides the kicker has to aim the sector aim off the bottom and there is additionally a holder (The kicker additionally has the choice to dropkick the ball, however that nearly by no means occurs).
Here’s how the NFL describes the rule:
“After a good catch, the receiving group has the choice to place the ball in play by a snap or a fair-catch kick (discipline aim try), with fair-catch kick strains established ten yards aside. All normal guidelines apply as for a discipline aim try from scrimmage. The clock begins when the ball is kicked. (No tee permitted.)”
Now that you know the way the rule works, let’s get again to the sport. Davis really referred to as for a good catch from his personal 38-yard line, however the Broncos had been referred to as for fair-catch interference on the play, which is a 15-yard penalty. That moved the ball to Denver’s 47-yard line, and underneath the fair-catch kick rule, that meant the Cameron Dicker obtained to aim a discipline aim from that precise spot.
Dicker nailed the kick, which made him the primary participant since Ray Wersching in 1976 to make a fair-catch kick.
Dicker’s discipline aim lower Denver’s result in 21-13 on the half. Wersching was additionally enjoying for the Chargers when he hit his free kick, which implies the one two fair-catch kicks the NFL has seen since 1970 have been transformed by the Chargers, who went on to win 34-27.
Although the group calling for the honest catch can benefit from the free kick rule at any level throughout a recreation, it actually solely is sensible on the finish of a half. If the Chargers had referred to as for this honest catch with 20 seconds left within the half, they doubtless would have run a play or two to try to get the ball nearer for a discipline aim try. Remember, the free kick is barely an possibility on the very subsequent play after a good catch.
The fair-catch kick rule may be very hardly ever used within the NFL. The final participant to aim a good catch discipline aim earlier than Thursday night time was Joey Slye, who missed a 60-yard try in 2019. Before Slye got here alongside, Phil Dawson additionally tried one for the 49ers in 2013, which is generally notable as a result of his coach on the time was Jim Harbaugh, which implies he is not been on the sideline as the top coach for 2 fair-catch kicks.
Dicker’s discipline aim try was really solely the sixth fair-catch kick tried within the NFL over the previous 30 years, however everybody had missed their kick earlier than Dicker got here alongside.
Dicker’s kick was additionally simply the fourth fair-catch kick out of 20 to be transformed within the Super Bowl period.
