The Chargers won an important AFC West showdown against the Broncos on Thursday night.

And they took advantage of perhaps the rarest play in football, a successful fair-catch free kick.

The unusual play allows a team to attempt a field goal from which they received a fair catch, while the opponent is not allowed to rush the kick.

ESPN reported that at least 29 fair-catch free kicks were recorded during the regular season, but the last known player to make one was Ray Wersching of the San Diego Chargers in 1976.

Cameron Dicker, another Chargers kicker, changed that when he converted from 57 yards out at the end of the first half, cutting Denver’s lead to 21-13 on Thursday night.

The Chargers won 34-27 to stay in the AFC playoff race.

“Great football game,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game. “Let’s talk about Cam Dicker and the free kick. This is my favorite rule in football. I tried to get one in every game. Once Cameron Dicker made it, things got back on track. This was our chance. This was our moment (to try it out).”

Dicker told reporters that they practiced the kick under special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, who alerted him to the rule.

The most recent attempt was a 60-yarder by former Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye in 2019. Harbaugh had former kicker Phil Dawson attempt a free kick against the St. Louis Rams when he was coaching the 49ers in 2013.

The Chargers close out the regular season with road games against the Patriots (3-11) and Raiders (2-12).