Dicker

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Chargers leaned on a lot of backups Sunday, but with the game against the Miami Dolphins on the line, they turned to Mr. Reliable.

Cameron Dicker kicked a 35-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to lift his team to a 29-27 win, the final points in a game that included six lead changes.

It was the fifth field goal of the day for Dicker, who has never missed from 40 yards or closer.

Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. clinched the win with an interception on the final play, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s third pick of the day.

The sparse crowd had erupted minutes earlier when Tagovailoa hit Darren Waller for a seven-yard touchdown, reclaiming the lead with 46 seconds on the clock.

But Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert answered with a lightning-quick drive downfield to set up the winning field goal.

The Chargers, ravaged by injuries, effectively leaned on their reserves to help pave the way for their first victory in three weeks.

Reserve running back Kimani Vidal rushed for 124 yards and turned a short pass into a touchdown. He was promoted from the practice squad last Wednesday after the Chargers lost rookie first-round pick Omarion Hampton to an ankle injury. Earlier this season, the team lost veteran running back Najee Harris to a torn Achilles tendon.

Chargers running back Kimani Vidal scores a touchdown in the third quarter Sunday against the Dolphins.

(Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

The performance marked the first 100-yard game by Vidal, drafted in the sixth round out of Troy University by the Chargers in 2024.

It was the second consecutive week the 1-5 Dolphins were burned by a little-known running back, as Carolina’s Rico Dowdle trampled them for 206 yards in Week 5. Miami came into the game with the NFL’s worst run defense.

On Sunday, the Chargers made seven trips to the red zone but failed to make the most of those, with two touchdowns and five field goals.

Giving the visiting defense all it could handle was Miami’s De’Von Archane, who had a 49-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a four-yarder in the fourth. The Dolphins repeatedly fed him the ball down the stretch and scored on the touchdown catch by Waller, but they couldn’t hold off Herbert’s final drive.

Stopping the run has been an issue for the Chargers, too, as Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns against them the week before.

The Chargers won their first three games of the season, running the table against AFC West opponents, but lost the next two games at the New York Giants and home against the Washington Commanders.

Not only had the Chargers lost their two top running backs, but they have had to reshuffle their offensive line multiple times because of injuries. They have designed their offense to get the ball out of Justin Herbert’s hands quickly, as he has been hit more than any quarterback in the league this season.

That was the case in the first half of Sunday’s game as well, as Herbert was hit four times — and sacked once — by the Dolphins, who registered just 18 quarterback hits in the first five games combined.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert scrambles during the second half against the Dolphins.

(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

But the Chargers came alive in the second half, overcoming a 13-9 halftime deficit, with a five-yard touchdown reception by Ladd McConkey, a seven-yard scoring catch by Vidal, and a fourth field goal by Dicker.

The Chargers, without injured receiver Quentin Johnston, leaned more heavily into rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II, whose father played receiver for the Dolphins for six seasons.

The younger Gadsden caught seven passes Sunday but also had a fumble that set up Achane’s first touchdown.

All good things come in threes — including reliability.

Anchored by kicker Cameron Dicker, punter JK Scott and long snapper Josh Harris, the Chargers’ specialists have been a bedrock of stability the past three seasons. That steadiness seemed in jeopardy when Scott’s contract expired this offseason.

Like a rock band losing its guitarist, it looked as though the group might have played its final tour together. But for Scott — whose bond with Dicker and Harris runs deeper than football — staying in L.A. felt like divine intervention.

“Truly, it was something me and my wife made a decision together from a place of prayer,” Scott said of re-signing. “We felt like we were supposed to be here. The relationships that we have here, we just felt like this was the right fit.”

Assembled by special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, the unit thrives on contrast. Dicker is the lively free spirit. Scott brings a reserved, thoughtful presence. Harris, 36, is the seasoned veteran.

“They’re like big brothers,” Dicker, the youngest of the group, said. “It’s been really cool to have them in my life and helping with things on the field, off the field. Leading me through it all, and just going through the journey of life coming out of college, it’s nice to have those guys.”

The three specialists, along with Ficken, are holdovers from the previous regime. Ficken, one of the few coaches retained when Jim Harbaugh was hired as head coach, engineered the transformation.

Before his arrival, the Chargers ranked near the bottom in special teams DVOA, or defense-adjusted value over average — 32nd in 2020 and 28th in 2021. With Harris and Scott’s offseason signing and Dicker’s arrival midseason, the unit rose to sixth by the end of 2022 and second in 2023.

“The way they approach the game and how they respect one another and they understand that each other’s success is going to help all of us,” Ficken said. “Having all three of them back another year just continues to allow us to grow.”

Under Ficken’s guidance, Dicker has become one of the league’s most accurate, converting 89 of 95 kicks since 2022. He had a franchise-record 150 points last season with 39 field goals and 33 extra points.

Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, left, works with long snapper Josh Harris before a game against the Buffalo Bills in December 2023.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

Scott finished top 10 in downed punts inside the 20-yard line and posted the second-highest hang time in the league at 4.65 seconds last season.

“Selfishly, I’m going to say we have the best room in the league,” Harris said. “Getting to come to work with JK, Dick and Fick, we really work well together. … There’s nobody else that I’d rather go out there with.”

When the Jacksonville Jaguars cut Scott early in the 2021 season and he went unsigned for the rest of the year, Ficken advocated bringing him to the Chargers.

“He called me and told me he wanted to have me as his punter for a while,” Scott said. “I attribute a lot of just me being here to him. So I’m grateful for him. Really, really love that guy.”

And when there was a chance the trio could drift apart, Ficken acted as the glue keeping them together. His faith in Scott ultimately factored into Scott’s decision to re-sign.

“He really believes in me, believes in Josh and Cameron,” Scott said. “He always expressed that, and it’s crazy, the power of when you have people believing in you, it helps you believe in yourself more.”

The group is guaranteed to stay together for at least one more year.

Scott signed a two-year, $6-million contract in March. Dicker secured a four-year, $22-million extension last season, making him among the highest-paid kickers. Harris, however, is in the final year of his contract and will miss at least the first four games after being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Rick Lovato will take over until Harris returns.

While the turnaround of a once-abysmal special teams unit is the measurement of success, the playful off-field moments define their time together.

Sometimes it’s Harris offering Scott smelling salts — a practice Dicker, who is naturally amped, skips. Or it’s Harris snapping a photo of Dicker, Scott and Ficken next to the Dicker’s famous fair-catch kick cleats on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Then there’s Scott, who asked Harris a loaded question during a recent news conference: “Who do you like more, JK Scott or Cameron Dicker?”

“I can’t answer,” Harris said with a chuckle. “You guys are the best, but you’re sitting in here, so I guess I’ll have to go with my guy right now, showing support.”