INGLEWOOD, Calif. — On Thursday night, Jim Harbaugh received an early Christmas gift during the Los Angeles Chargers’ 34-27 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Harbaugh had the chance to make use of what he called his favorite rule in football: the fair-catch kick.

According to NFL regulations, when a player makes a fair catch, their team is allowed to try a kick from the spot instead of starting a new possession. If successful, this kick is worth three points, similar to a field goal.

The Chargers capitalized on this rule when the Broncos were penalized for interfering with a fair catch with less than 10 seconds left in the first half, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and giving Los Angeles the ball at Denver’s 47-yard line. After both teams took timeouts, the Chargers sent out Cameron Dicker for a 57-yard fair-catch kick.

Dicker successfully made the kick, marking the first fair-catch kick to succeed since 1976 and the longest in NFL history.

“It was amazing. It was exciting to be out there,” Dicker commented. “It felt a bit unusual since there was no line out there, but it was really cool to pull it off.”

This was the first fair-catch kick attempt in the NFL since 2019.

“This is my favorite rule in football, and I’ve wanted to do this every game,” Harbaugh said with a grin after the game.

Harbaugh has been well aware of this rare NFL rule. He attempted a fair-catch kick during his time as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, but kicker Phil Dawson missed the 71-yard attempt against the St. Louis Rams.

“And then there was Cam Dicker, who stepped up and nailed it,” Harbaugh said. “It was a significant moment and generated positive momentum for us.”

Indeed, it was a momentum boost.

The kick narrowed the Chargers’ deficit to 21-13 at halftime. They then rallied in the second half, scoring 21 points while holding the Broncos to just 6, thanks to three touchdown drives led by quarterback Justin Herbert and a defense that limited Denver to 2-for-8 on third downs.

“I was ready to go out and throw a Hail Mary, but that’s why we have coaches and people in the box to make those decisions,” Herbert said. “For Cam (Dicker) to step up and make that kick was a massive momentum boost for us.”

This momentum-generating fair-catch kick could propel the Chargers toward the playoffs. With this win, they moved to the sixth seed in the AFC, putting them just above the Broncos. The Chargers have also completed a season sweep against their AFC West rival. According to Next Gen Stats, the Chargers now have a 97% chance of making it to the postseason and could secure a playoff berth by the end of Sunday.

It seems like an early Christmas gift from a successful fair-catch kick that could help the Chargers clinch a playoff spot in Harbaugh’s first season in Los Angeles.

“Christmas is my favorite time of year,” Harbaugh reflected. “I have so many great memories.”

Now, Harbaugh has yet another memorable Christmas moment to cherish.