Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 12 recap

The South Carolina football team is approaching the end of its regular season, as it played its penultimate game of the 2024 campaign against Wofford this past weekend.

While the college football regular season is drawing to a close, National Football League action continues to roll along, with many Gamecocks from past teams putting in strong individual performances for their respective teams.

Here’s how former South Carolina players fared in the professional ranks this past week.

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AFC East

Cam Smith – Cornerback, Miami Dolphins
Smith recorded one solo tackle in the Dolphins’ 34-15 win over the New England Patriots. He appeared on 30 total plays – 16 on defense and 14 on special teams – in the contest.

Marcellas Dial Jr. – Cornerback, New England Patriots
Dial Jr. played exclusively on special teams in the Patriots’ 34-15 loss to the Dolphins. He did not record any statistics across 26 special teams snaps, the most of any player on the team.

Kevin Harris – Running back, New England Patriots
Harris is currently a member of the Patriots’ practice squad and did not make an appearance in the Patriots’ Week 12 defeat.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
The Jets were on a bye during Week 12, so Kinlaw did not play this past week.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
Lammons, like Dial Jr., contributed solely on special teams in the Colts’ 24-6 loss to the Detroit Lions. He played 11 snaps on special teams – including three on kick coverage, three on punt returns, one on punt coverage, and four on field goal defense.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
Adkins was not targeted in the Broncos’ 29-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. He did, however, play 20 snaps on offense and an additional 18 on special teams.

Nick Gargiulo – Guard, Denver Broncos
Gargiulo is currently a member of the Broncos’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s Week 12 win.

Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst was not listed on the Chargers’ injury report on Thursday, but his condition worsened as the week went on due to a hip injury. He was downgraded to a limited participant on Friday and did not practice on Saturday. Hurst was ultimately listed as inactive for the team’s Monday Night Football contest against the Baltimore Ravens, which resulted in a 30-23 loss.

NFC East

Rico Dowdle – Running back, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle had his most productive performance since being named the Cowboys’ lead running back in the team’s 34-26 victory over the Washington Commanders. He gained 86 rushing yards – one yard off his 2024 single-game high – on 19 rushing attempts, in addition to catching three passes for 12 yards. But he also lost a fumble in the first quarter – though it did not hurt the Cowboys in the end, as the Commanders punted on their next possession.

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu put up his strongest defensive display of the 2024 season in the Cowboys’ Week 12 win. He made one solo tackle in the contest, but he also defended one pass from Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and intercepted another, which he returned for five yards. Mukuamu played 39 total snaps in the contest.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks returned to active status during Week 12 and saw some playing time, as he was targeted three times. One of those receptions went for 41 yards, which was his longest play of the campaign. Brooks played 34 total snaps and was the team’s highest-rated player on special teams, with a Pro Football Focus grade of 70.9.

Dante Miller – Running back, New York Giants
Miller is currently a member of the Giants’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s 30-7 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens did not record any statistics in the Bears’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He did, however, play 27 defensive snaps and an additional six on special teams.

Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare recorded two assisted tackles in the Packers’ 38-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. He played 19 defensive snaps and eight more on special teams.

Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon was a consistent presence in the Packers’ secondary during Week 11, appearing on 43 of the team’s 49 defensive plays. He earned the team’s third-highest overall defensive PFF grade (83.2) after making three assisted tackles and forcing one fumble.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore logged a five-tackle, two-solo stop performance and defended one pass in the Vikings’ 30-27 win over the Bears. He played 75 of the team’s 76 defensive snaps in the contest, and he also recorded its second-highest overall defensive PFF grade (75.0).

Nick Muse – Tight end, Minnesota Vikings
Muse was activated from injury reserve one day before the Vikings’ Week 12 contest, where he would see some playing time. He appeared on six offensive plays and an additional 16 on special teams. Although he did not record any statistics, he received the team’s second-highest special teams PFF grade (85.9). But Muse was released by the Vikings on Nov. 25 – the day of his 26th birthday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that, should Muse clear waivers, he will be re-signed to the team’s practice squad, though.

NFC South

Jovaughn Gwyn – Guard, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were on bye during Week 12, so Gwyn did not play this past week.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney looked a lot like his former self in the Panthers’ 30-27 defeat to the Chiefs. He made three tackles, including one solo stop, and recorded 1.5 sacks on his way to being the team’s highest-graded defensive player (81.3), according to PFF. Clowney appeared on 47 of the team’s 74 defensive plays.

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn put up another strong performance for the Panthers during Week 12, despite the result of their game against the Chiefs. He recorded one sack and six solo tackles across 74 defensive snaps.

Xavier Legette – Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Legette logged his second-highest single-game yardage total of his professional career in the Panthers’ most recent contest. His 56 receiving yards on four catches was the most production he had seen in just under two months. Legette appeared on 58 of the team’s 62 offensive plays.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum was also rated highly by PFF during Week 12, as he finished with the Panthers’ second-highest overall defensive grade (75.6). He made five total tackles (three of which were solo stops) and recorded one sack across 57 defensive snaps.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
The Saints were on bye during Week 12, so Rattler did not play this past week.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
The Saints were on bye during Week 12, so Prentice did not play this past week.

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. had a relatively quiet game for the second week in a row, catching just one pass for 21 yards in the 49ers’ 38-10 loss to the Packers. He appeared on 33 of the team’s 49 offensive plays and logged an additional three snaps on special teams, where he earned the team’s highest PFF grade specifically on kickoff plays (73.4).

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones continues to be a tackling machine for the Seahawks’ defense since being acquired in a trade just over one month ago. He made 10 tackles – third double-digit tackle performance in four games – in the team’s 16-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

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