Watch: Chargers score on rare play that hasn't happened since 1976

The rule states that after a player has successfully made fair catch — or has been awarded a fair catch as the result of a penalty — their team can attempt a kick from the spot of the catch, where the opposing team cannot rush it. 

There are really only two situations where such a play might be practical for a team: at the end of a half when there is no time remaining — as was the case here — or at the end of a game where a kick could win it. 

The Chargers were in a position to try the kick on Thursday because Denver's Tremon Smith interfered with Darius Davis' fair catch on a punt to end the half. 

That gave the Chargers an untimed down, which they used to attempt the free kick. It was successful, and brought the Chargers to within 21-13 on the scoreboard.

It is only the seventh successful free kick in NFL history — and the first since 1976. 

Prior to Dicker's kick, there had only been nine attempted since that successful kick in 1976. All of them missed, with all of them being on kicks of 58 yards or more. Eight of them were kicks of 60 yards or more.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh deserves credit for letting his kicker try it, and he also deserves credit for having his team in a position to even have that chance. With time running down in the half, he called a timeout following a Denver failed third-down play deep in its own territory with only a few seconds remaining. It would have been easy to just go into the half and let the clock run out figuring points would be nearly impossible to come by. But sometimes crazy things can happen in the NFL if you just give it a chance. This is one of those crazy plays.