Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 14 recap

For the first time since the weekend of Oct. 23, the South Carolina football team had a weekend off from game action. The Gamecocks, who finished the season 9-3 overall, now have their sights set on a meeting with Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

In the meantime, multiple former South Carolina football players saw the field during Week 14 of the National Football League season.

Here’s how Gamecocks from years past fared in the professional ranks this past week.

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AFC East

Cam Smith – Cornerback, Miami Dolphins
Smith sustained a shoulder injury in the Dolphins’ Week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers and did not return. He was eventually placed on injury reserve on Dec. 4, making him ineligible to play until the team’s regular season finale during Week 18.

Marcellas Dial Jr. – Cornerback, New England Patriots
The Patriots were on bye during Week 14, so Dial Jr. did not play this past week.

Kevin Harris – Running back, New England Patriots
The Patriots were on bye during Week 14, so Harris did not play this past week. He remains a member of the team’s practice squad.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
Kinlaw returned to the stat sheet with one solo tackle in the Jets’ 32-26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins. He was heavily involved on the defensive side of the football, playing 48 snaps in that facet of the game. Kinlaw also appeared on five special teams plays.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were on bye during Week 14, so Lammons did not play this past week.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
The Broncos were on bye during Week 14, so Adkins did not play this past week.

Nick Gargiulo – Guard, Denver Broncos
The Broncos were on bye during Week 14, so Gargiulo did not play this past week. He remains a member of the team’s practice squad.

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Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst was placed on injury reserve with a hip injury on Nov. 25, so he did not appear in the Chargers’ 19-17 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. 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 logged his second consecutive 100-yard performance in the Cowboys’ 27-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. He recorded a career-high 131 yards on 18 rushing attempts, in addition to 10 yards on one reception. Dowdle has now recorded 264 scrimmage yards across his last two contests, which is a positive sign after taking over the Cowboys’ starting running back job in mid-November.

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu did not record any statistics in the Cowboys’ Week 14 defeat. He did see some playing time, though, on seven defensive snaps and 23 special teams snaps.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks was listed among the Cowboys’ inactive players 90 minutes before the the team’s Monday Night Football matchup. According to RotoWire’s staff, his absence was tied to a “coach’s decision” stemming from Brandin Cooks’ return from injury and the team’s acquisition of fellow wideout Jonathan Mingo.

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 14-11 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens logged his most productive individual performance of the 2024 season in the Bears’ 38-13 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers. He made a season-high five tackles, including three solo stops, across 44 combined snaps on defense and special teams.

Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare made two assisted tackles in the Packers’ 34-31 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football. He appeared on 42 defensive plays and an additional 11 on special teams.

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Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon had a career game in the Packers’ Week 14 contest, despite the ultimate result of the game. He made a season-high 10 tackles, which is one off his career high, in the contest. In addition to recording three solo tackles and defending two passes, Nixon also intercepted a pass from Jared Goff and returned it 16 yards in the second quarter. His overall defensive PFF grade (76.4) ranked second amongst all Packers defenders, and his coverage grade (84.8) ranked first.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore did not practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this past week due to a hamstring injury. He ultimately was listed as “out” and did not feature in the Vikings’ 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Nick Muse – Tight end, Minnesota Vikings
Muse is currently a member of the Vikings’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s Week 14 victory.

NFC South

Jovaughn Gwyn – Guard, Atlanta Falcons
Gwyn is currently a member of the Falcons’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s 42-21 loss to the Vikings.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney did not practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this week due to a knee injury. Despite carrying a “questionable” tag into the Panthers’ Week 14 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, he did not make an appearance in the 22-16 defeat.

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn recorded six total tackles, four of which were solo stops, for the third consecutive game during Week 14. He appeared on 45 of the team’s 58 defensive plays.

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Xavier Legette – Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Legette caught multiple passes for the eighth straight contest in the Panthers’ Week 14 loss. He gained 39 receiving yards on two receptions, one of which resulted in a 31-yard gain. But Legette’s most notable play from the game was one he could not make – a near 30-yard catch that could have put the Panthers in position to score a game-winning touchdown.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum recorded three total tackles, including two solo stops, during Week 14. He played 43 snaps on defense and five more on special teams.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Rattler, the Saints’ third-string quarterback, did not feature in the team’s 14-11 win over the Giants. He could be in line for playing time, though, should Derek Carr miss extended time after suffering a concussion and hand injury.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
Prentice did not record any statistics in the Saints’ Week 14 victory. He did, however, play 27 snaps on offense and an additional 18 on special teams.

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. was held to under 25 receiving yards for the fourth consecutive week in the 49ers’ 38-13 win over the Bears. He gained just 22 yards on two receptions, one of which went for 20 yards – his longest play of the night. Samuel Sr. also totaled 13 rushing yards on five attempts.

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones mirrored his stat line from last week – eight combined tackles, including four solo stops – in the Seahawks’ 30-18 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. But he also defended one pass and logged his first interception since the 2022 season on a pass from Kyler Murray in the first quarter.

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