There were many reasons why the Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Houston Texans on Saturday, but the most shocking of them all was the fact that Cameron Dicker suffered the first blowout of his career.
The Chargers kicker cost his team four points with a missed 32-yard field goal and missed extra point in the 20–16 loss. Dicker's miss on two short kicks in one play may have been the most statistically improbable fumble on a play the NFL has ever seen. Since Week 17, Dicker has completed 94.1% of his field goal attempts, making him the most accurate kicker in NFL history (no other field goal kicker is even 90%).
Dicker had never given up two hits in the same game in his entire career, but that changed after the game against Houston. The first miss came just under 20 seconds before the end of the first half. After Elijah Molden threw a huge interception, the Chargers ended up with the ball in Houston territory. Eventually, the Chargers' drive came to an end at the Houston 14-yard line, and that's when Dicker was sent for a 32-yard field goal, a kick that is usually automatic for him. And when we say automatic, we mean automatic: Before Saturday's game, Dicker had NEVER missed a 40-yard field goal in his career (68 of 68). But then this streak suddenly ended.
The shot would have cut Houston's lead to 14-6, but the miss sent the Texans into halftime with a 14-3 lead.
The only thing more stunning than Dicker's missed field goal was the extra point he missed with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. After Omarion Hampton's 5-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 20-16, Dicker had a chance to cut the lead to three points, but instead missed the extra point.
After that hit, Dicker scored 57 consecutive extra points during the regular season.
It's impossible to say how the game would have gone if Dicker had kicked both of those kickers, but it's entirely possible the Chargers would have sent the Texans into overtime.
Let's quickly recap Dicker's stunning collapse:
- He allowed two hits in a game for the first time in his career.
- For the first time in his career, he missed a field goal from 40 yards out.
- All season, he had just two penalties on 71 shots (field goals and extra points) in Week 17.
- His streak of 57 consecutive extra point successes came to an end.
And it all happened with a kicker who was selected to the Pro Bowl as an AFC kicker last week. Dicker only missed two hits all season, earning him a Pro Bowl nod. Entering Week 17, he was 36 of 38 on field goals this year, including 19 of 19 from 40, and 33 of 33 on extra points.
The only good news for the Chargers is that they've already clinched a playoff berth, so Dicker will likely get a chance to redeem himself in the postseason.
With the Chargers' loss, the Broncos clinched the AFC West title, meaning Los Angeles may be able to rest its starters in Week 18 against Denver.
