A blocked kick in Denver and two missed kicks against Miami, including a potential game-winner, helped the Chargers lose their first two games of the season — losses that would eventually keep them out of the playoffs.
It also set the tone for a season of field-goal folly, with kickers from Younghoe Koo to Travis Coons, from Nick Novak to Nick Rose, all taking turns firing kicks on the wrong side of the uprights. No team in the NFL was shakier at the position.
It had to be fixed, and Friday the Chargers took a swing at getting it right.