https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/gameday/chargers-falcons-game-winning-field-goal-cameron-dicker-nfl-week-9

Cameron Dicker, the Chargers' Third Kicker of the Season, Hits
Game-Winning Field Goal Over Falcons

The Chargers improve to a 5-3 record following their Week 9 win over the
Falcons.

Nicholas Cothrel
2 hours ago

It wasn't a pretty win by many accounts, but the Chargers ultimately got
it done, beating the Falcons 20-17 thanks in part to Cameron Dicker's
game-winning field goal with three seconds left in regulation.

While there's no style points in how you win, there were moments of
doubt when it looked like Dicker wouldn’t get his opportunity to attempt
the game-winner.

After picking up three first downs on the Chargers' final possession
with time expiring, running back Austin Ekeler fumbled at the Falcons'
22-yard line with 46 second left.

But as the Falcons scooped the ball and attempted to run it back,
defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham couldn’t hang onto the ball and gave it
right back to the Chargers.

After a wild turn of events, the Chargers would get the ball back at the
Falcons' 43-yard line, now needing to gain yardage to get within field
goal range.

On the first play following the two fumbles, Herbert dropped back and
hit Joshua Palmer for a 22-yard pickup, reaching the 21-yard line. After
one more rushing attempt by Ekeler to pickup a few more yards, on came
Dicker for the 37-yard field goal attempt in which he put it right
through the uprights to secure the walk-off victory.

"We're going to set the NFL record for game balls for kickers," Chargers
coach Brandon Staley said after the win.

The Chargers got off to a rough start yet again, falling behind by 10
points early on. It marked the fourth consecutive game in which they've
trailed by double digits in the first quarter.

However, the second quarter was a different story for the Chargers as
they engineered 14 points to go into halftime with a 14-10 lead,
flipping the game in their favor.

Entering Sunday's contest at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Chargers knew
they were going to have to win ugly and they did just that. Keenan Allen
and Mike Williams were both out due to injury, putting the team's depth
to the test. Yet, Herbert still completed 30-of-43 passes (70%) for 245
yards and one touchdown.

"This isn't exclusive to any team, it's hard every week in the NFL, and
we're learning that as a club," Staley said of the injuries. "Since I've
been the head coach, we've played in a bunch of close ones, and we're
comfortable in this space. When you have as many people go down as we
have throughout the season and you go on the road, it's not going to be
poetic."

Palmer, the third-round pick from the Chargers' 2021 draft class,
entered the game as the team's No. 1 wide receiver and he delivered when
it mattered most. Palmer was Herbert's go-to option on third down,
taking control of the X position that Williams typically plays. Palmer's
106 receiving yards mark a career-high. His eight receptions are the
second-most he's had in a game.

Ekeler saw a team-high 21 touches that went for 71 yards and two
touchdowns. Ekeler has been the driving force of the offense this season
and that continued as he's now scored 10 touchdowns in his last five
games. He has five consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, marking
the longest active streak in the NFL.

"It's never easy in the NFL and that's a really good football team that
we played against," Herbert said. "But for those guys to be able to step
up and deal with punches, the adversity and answer, I thought that was
huge for us."

Defensively, the Chargers made the adequate adjustments in the second
half to hold the Falcons to just seven points across the final two
quarters. But their biggest issues stemmed from having little to no
answers for slowing down the Falcons' lethal rushing attack, which
totaled 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

In three of the Chargers' last four games, they’ve allowed over 200
rushing yards to their opposition.

Injury roundup

Defensive lineman Austin Johnson was carted off the field late in
the third quarter. Staley said it's a knee injury (MCL), but that
they'll know more about the severity on Monday.

Left tackle Trey Pipkins left the game in the fourth quarter with a
knee injury. Pipkins has been dealing with a sprained MCL the last few
weeks.

Looking Ahead

The Chargers improve to a record of 5-3 and will face the 49ers on
Sunday Night Football in Week 10 as San Francisco comes off their bye week.

On Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 5:55:19 PM UTC-8, Robin Miller wrote:
> https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/gameday/chargers-falcons-game-winning-field-goal-cameron-dicker-nfl-week-9
>
>
> Cameron Dicker, the Chargers' Third Kicker of the Season, Hits
> Game-Winning Field Goal Over Falcons
>
> The Chargers improve to a 5-3 record following their Week 9 win over the
> Falcons.
>
> Nicholas Cothrel
> 2 hours ago
>
> It wasn't a pretty win by many accounts, but the Chargers ultimately got
> it done, beating the Falcons 20-17 thanks in part to Cameron Dicker's
> game-winning field goal with three seconds left in regulation.
>
> While there's no style points in how you win, there were moments of
> doubt when it looked like Dicker wouldn’t get his opportunity to attempt
> the game-winner.
>
> After picking up three first downs on the Chargers' final possession
> with time expiring, running back Austin Ekeler fumbled at the Falcons'
> 22-yard line with 46 second left.
>
> But as the Falcons scooped the ball and attempted to run it back,
> defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham couldn’t hang onto the ball and gave it
> right back to the Chargers.
>
> After a wild turn of events, the Chargers would get the ball back at the
> Falcons' 43-yard line, now needing to gain yardage to get within field
> goal range.
>
> On the first play following the two fumbles, Herbert dropped back and
> hit Joshua Palmer for a 22-yard pickup, reaching the 21-yard line. After
> one more rushing attempt by Ekeler to pickup a few more yards, on came
> Dicker for the 37-yard field goal attempt in which he put it right
> through the uprights to secure the walk-off victory.
>
> "We're going to set the NFL record for game balls for kickers," Chargers
> coach Brandon Staley said after the win.
>
> The Chargers got off to a rough start yet again, falling behind by 10
> points early on. It marked the fourth consecutive game in which they've
> trailed by double digits in the first quarter.
>
> However, the second quarter was a different story for the Chargers as
> they engineered 14 points to go into halftime with a 14-10 lead,
> flipping the game in their favor.
>
> Entering Sunday's contest at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Chargers knew
> they were going to have to win ugly and they did just that. Keenan Allen
> and Mike Williams were both out due to injury, putting the team's depth
> to the test. Yet, Herbert still completed 30-of-43 passes (70%) for 245
> yards and one touchdown.
>
> "This isn't exclusive to any team, it's hard every week in the NFL, and
> we're learning that as a club," Staley said of the injuries. "Since I've
> been the head coach, we've played in a bunch of close ones, and we're
> comfortable in this space. When you have as many people go down as we
> have throughout the season and you go on the road, it's not going to be
> poetic."
>
> Palmer, the third-round pick from the Chargers' 2021 draft class,
> entered the game as the team's No. 1 wide receiver and he delivered when
> it mattered most. Palmer was Herbert's go-to option on third down,
> taking control of the X position that Williams typically plays. Palmer's
> 106 receiving yards mark a career-high. His eight receptions are the
> second-most he's had in a game.
>
> Ekeler saw a team-high 21 touches that went for 71 yards and two
> touchdowns. Ekeler has been the driving force of the offense this season
> and that continued as he's now scored 10 touchdowns in his last five
> games. He has five consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, marking
> the longest active streak in the NFL.
>
> "It's never easy in the NFL and that's a really good football team that
> we played against," Herbert said. "But for those guys to be able to step
> up and deal with punches, the adversity and answer, I thought that was
> huge for us."
>
> Defensively, the Chargers made the adequate adjustments in the second
> half to hold the Falcons to just seven points across the final two
> quarters. But their biggest issues stemmed from having little to no
> answers for slowing down the Falcons' lethal rushing attack, which
> totaled 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
>
> In three of the Chargers' last four games, they’ve allowed over 200
> rushing yards to their opposition.
>
>
> Injury roundup
>
> Defensive lineman Austin Johnson was carted off the field late in
> the third quarter. Staley said it's a knee injury (MCL), but that
> they'll know more about the severity on Monday.
>
> Left tackle Trey Pipkins left the game in the fourth quarter with a
> knee injury. Pipkins has been dealing with a sprained MCL the last few
> weeks.
>
> Looking Ahead
>
> The Chargers improve to a record of 5-3 and will face the 49ers on
> Sunday Night Football in Week 10 as San Francisco comes off their bye week.

I didn't get to watch the game as I was at Disneyland with the family, but I was checking the score now and again. First I saw they were down 10-0 and figured they were gonna get thumped like the Jacksonville game. Then I saw that they were ahead 14-10 and was like OK, maybe they can pull this one out. Saw they fell behind 17-14 and was like, nope, they're probably losing. Next time I checked it was 17-17 and they had 3rd and 4 at the 22 with 43 seconds left, I'm like wow OK looks like they can win if the emergency kicker comes through. Saw the final a few minutes later and figured they had just kicked the field goal on the next play. Only after getting home did I see the crazy highlight of the double fumble. That's like the third win this year where they probably should have lost (Cleveland and Denver being the others).

The 49ers have been very up and down this year but I think they probably have too good a defense for the Chargers to overcome with all the WR injuries.. With a fully healthy Allen and Williams I'd give the Chargers a good chance to win but I don't expect it to happen now.

Michael