Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 15 recap

The holiday season has long been known as a time for people to come together. One such gathering of former Gamecocks took place at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday after a regular season matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, which featured seven alumni of the South Carolina football program.

Gettin the band back together

Next-level impact 🤙 pic.twitter.com/mG6wLrZ04m

— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) December 16, 2024

Outside of this game, former Gamecocks continued to shine in Week 15 action across the National Football League. Here’s how they fared in their respective contests.

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AFC East

Cam Smith – Cornerback, Miami Dolphins
Smith was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury on Dec. 4, so he did not appear in the Dolphins’ 20-12 loss to the Houston Texans. He is eligible to return in Week 18 once his four-week period of mandated inactivity is over.

Marcellas Dial Jr. – Cornerback, New England Patriots
Dial Jr. played exclusively on special teams in the Patriots’ 30-17 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals. He did not record any statistics across 21 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 feature in the team’s Week 15 loss.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
Kinlaw registered one sack and two tackles, both of which were solo stops, in the Jets’ 32-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He saw most of his playing time on the defensive side of the football, where he played 49 snaps. Kinlaw also appeared on seven special teams plays.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
Lammons saw playing time on defense for the first time since Week 11, playing one snap in the Colts’ 31-13 defeat to the Denver Broncos. Most of his contributions in the contest came on special teams, where he appeared in 26 plays.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
Adkins found the end zone for the third time this season in the Broncos’ 31-13 victory over the Colts. The score came on his lone reception of the game, a 15-yard completion from Bo Nix in the third quarter. Adkins’ touchdown gave the team a 17-13 lead, one it would hold onto for the rest of the game.

Nick Gargiulo – Guard, Denver Broncos
Gargiulo is currently a member of the Broncos’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s Week 15 win.

Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury on Nov. 25, so he did not appear in the Chargers’ 40-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is eligible to return in Week 16 once his four-week period of mandated inactivity is over.

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NFC East

Rico Dowdle – Running back, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle continued his recent run of strong performances in the Cowboys’ 30-14 victory over the Panthers. He gained a career-high 149 yards on 25 carries, marking his third consecutive 100-yard game. Over the last three weeks, Dowdle leads all NFL running backs in rushing yards (392), rushing yards after contact (283), rushes of 10 or more yards (10) and missed tackles forced (16), according to Pro Football Focus.

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu returned to the stat sheet in a big way in the Cowboys’ Week 15 win. Not only did he intercept his second pass of the season (which he returned for 15 yards), but he also defended another pass and made two solo tackles across 35 total snaps on defense and special teams.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks recorded a major career milestone during Week 15, as he caught his first professional touchdown pass on his lone reception of the game. The score, which came on a 17-yard pass from Cooper Rush, helped the Cowboys gain a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

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 35-14 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens recorded a five-tackle, two-solo stop performance in the Bears’ 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He accumulated these tackles across 31 defensive snaps.

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Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare logged his most productive individual performance of the 2024 campaign in the Packers’ 30-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. He made a season-high five tackles – all of which were solo stops – in addition to recording two sacks (a single-game career high) on one drive at the end of the third quarter.

Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon made five tackles, three of which were solo stops, across 56 defensive snaps in the Packers’ Week 15 victory. He also saw action on seven special teams plays, where he returned three kickoffs for 98 yards.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore did not practice on Thursday or Friday of this past week due to a hamstring injury, but he was a limited participant on Saturday. He carried a “questionable” designation into the Vikings’ Week 15 game against the Bears but was listed as inactive 90 minutes before kickoff and did not feature in the team’s 30-12 win.

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 15 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 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney returned from injury in spectacular fashion in the Panthers’ 30-14 defeat to the Cowboys. He defended two passes and made three solo tackles across 27 snaps of action, which helped him earn the team’s highest overall defensive PFF grade (90.3). Broken down further, he received the team’s second-highest pass rush (81.5) and coverage (67.6) grades, in addition to its fourth-highest run defense grade (69.6) and sixth-highest tackling grade (73.1).

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn recorded one sack, one pass defended and two solo total tackles during Week 15. He appeared on all 72 of the team’s defensive plays and recorded both its third-highest overall defensive grade (74.6) and highest pass rush grade (83.8), according to PFF.

Xavier Legette – Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Legette, who was battling a wrist injury, saw just three touches in the Panthers’ Week 15 loss. He was targeted three times in the contest, which resulted in two catches for seven yards. Legette also gained two yards on one rushing attempt.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum recorded three total tackles, including two solo stops, and defended one pass during Week 15. He played 59 snaps on defense and seven more on special teams.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Rattler saw his first in-game action since Week 8 after fellow signal caller Jake Haener, who started the game in Derek Carr’s absence, was benched in the third quarter. Rattler ultimately completed just 10 of his 21 passes for 135 yards but played a key role in the Saints’ near game-winning drive. He threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau with three seconds remaining, but the team failed to convert on the ensuing two-point attempt. As a result, the Saints fell to the Washington Commanders by a 20-19 score.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
Prentice did not record any statistics in the Saints’ Week 15 defeat. He did, however, play 10 snaps on offense and an additional 16 on special teams.

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. was held to under 25 receiving yards for the fifth consecutive week in the 49ers’ 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. He gained just 16 yards on three receptions, one of which went for six yards – his longest play of the night. Samuel Sr. also totaled three rushing yards on two attempts.

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones continued his streak of recording at least eight total tackles in the Seahawks’ 30-13 defeat to the Packers. He made nine total tackles, including four solo stops, and forced a fumble in the contest.

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