Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 13 recap

The South Carolina football team wrapped up its 2024 regular season with a dramatic 17-14 win over Clemson on Saturday. But action in the NFL continued rolling during “Feast Week,” where all of the league’s 32 teams saw the field – and so did many former Gamecocks.

Here’s how alumni of the South Carolina football program fared in the professional ranks this past week.

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AFC East

Cam Smith – Cornerback, Miami Dolphins
Smith logged a multi-tackle performance for the fourth time this season, making three total stops in the Dolphins’ 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. He recorded these statistics across 12 defensive snaps and six more on special teams.

Marcellas Dial Jr. – Cornerback, New England Patriots
Dial Jr. played exclusively on special teams in the Patriots’ 25-24 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts. He did not record any statistics across 17 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 13 loss.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
Kinlaw did not record a statistic for the first time this season in the Jets’ 26-21 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks. He was heavily involved on the defensive side of the football, playing 49 snaps in that facet of the game. Kinlaw also appeared on six special teams plays.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
Lammons, like Dial Jr., contributed solely on special teams in the Colts’ 25-24 win over the Patriots. He recorded one tackle across 14 snaps of action.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
Adkins recorded one reception in a game for the seventh time this season, catching his lone target for a 16-yard gain in the Broncos’ 41-32 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.

Nick Gargiulo – Guard, Denver Broncos
Gargiulo is currently a member of the Broncos’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s Week 13 win.

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Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst was placed on injury reserve on Nov. 25 after dealing with a hip injury the prior week, so he did not appear in the Chargers’ 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He is eligible to return in Week 16 once his four-week period of mandated inactivity is over.

NFC East

Rico Dowdle – Running back, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle delivered his strongest individual performance of the 2024 season in the Cowboys’ 27-20 win over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving. He reached triple-digit rushing yards for the first time all campaign, logging 112 yards on the ground from 22 carries. He also found the end zone on a four-yard rush in the third quarter and caught three passes for 11 additional yards on his way to being named Tom Brady’s “LFG Player of the Game.”

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu tied a season high with four total tackles, two of which were solo stops, in the Cowboys’ Week 13 victory. He played 55 total snaps – including 34 on defense and 21 on special teams – in the contest.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks caught one pass for a second straight game during Week 13, but it went for no gain. He appeared on 22 offensive plays and an additional 19 on special teams.

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 27-20 loss to the Cowboys.

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens found himself back on the Bears’ stat sheet with an assisted tackle in the team’s 23-20 defeat to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. He recorded this statistic across 31 total snaps of action.

Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare made a season-high five tackles, three of which were solo stops, and recorded one sack in the Packers’ 30-17 win over the Dolphins. He appeared on 43 defensive plays and an additional eight on special teams.

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Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon was a consistent presence in the Packers’ secondary during Week 13, appearing on all 71 of the team’s defensive plays. He earned the team’s third-highest overall defensive PFF grade (73.5) for the second straight week after making six tackles, five of which were solo stops, and defending one pass.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore played just 35 of the Vikings’ defensive snaps, but he logged a two-tackle, one-solo stop performance and defended one pass in the Vikings’ 23-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also recorded the team’s fourth-highest overall defensive PFF grade (79.9).

Nick Muse – Tight end, Minnesota Vikings
After being released by the Vikings on Nov. 25, Muse was re-signed to its practice squad two days later. But he was elevated to the team’s active roster for its Week 13 contest and earned some playing time – eight offensive snaps and an additional 12 on special teams.

NFC South

Jovaughn Gwyn – Guard, Atlanta Falcons
Gwyn met the same fate as Muse, as he was released by the Falcons on Nov. 28. He made his way back on the team’s practice squad two days later, though, by clearing waivers. He did not feature in the team’s 17-13 loss to the Chargers.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney registered one sack and three total tackles (including two solo stops) in the Panthers’ 26-23 overtime defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared on 57 of the team’s 80 defensive plays.

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn put up another strong performance for the Panthers during Week 13, despite the result of their game against the Buccaneers. He defended two passes and recorded at least six tackles for the third straight week, making six total stops across 80 defensive snaps.

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Xavier Legette – Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Legette nearly mirrored his stat line from the previous week in the Panthers’ Week 13 loss. He was targeted eight times in the contest, resulting in four catches for 53 yards – the same number of receptions and three fewer yards than he gained last Sunday.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum had his least productive performance since returning from injury during Week 13. He made a season-low three tackles (including two solo stops) across 62 snaps of action.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Rattler, the Saints’ third-string quarterback, did not feature in the team’s 21-14 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
Prentice did not record any statistics in the Saints’ Week 13 defeat. He did, however, play 14 snaps on offense and an additional seven on special teams.

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. was held to under 25 receiving yards for the third consecutive week in the 49ers’ 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football. He gained just 20 yards on four receptions, one of which went for seven yards – his longest play of the night.

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones failed to extend his streak of recording double-digit tackles to three games, but he still had a strong performance in the Seahawks’ 26-21 victory over the Jets. He made eight total tackles, four of which were solo stops, across 70 combined snaps on defense and special teams.

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