Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 17 recap

The playoff picture, draft leaderboard and everything in between are coming into a fuller picture after the most recent slate of National Football League action. And former South Carolina football players played important roles in the games that took place this past week, as they have all season.

Here’s how Gamecock alumni fared for their respective teams during Week 17.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

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’ 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns. 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. returned to defensive action in the Patriots’ 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He did not record any statistics across three defensive snaps at left cornerback. Dial Jr. played an additional 25 snaps on special teams, which tied for 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 17 defeat.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
Kinlaw did not record any statistics in the Jets’ 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He did, however, play 34 snaps on defense and six more on special teams.

AFC North

Ahmarean Brown – Wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
GamecockCentral’s Mike Uva reported on Dec. 27 that Brown was set to work out with the Pittsburgh Steelers that same day. That workout has yet to yield a place on the team’s practice squad, but Uva said Brown could potentially be signed to a futures contract. Brown was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns and was briefly on the Bills’ practice squad earlier this season.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
One week after being listed as inactive, Lammons returned to action in the Colts’ 45-33 defeat to the New York Giants. He played 17 snaps on special teams and earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 65.0, the second-highest of any Colts special teamer.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
Adkins extended his streak of games with at least one reception to four in the Broncos’ 30-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. His lone reception, which resulted in a seven-yard gain, was his only target of the game. Adkins played 34 combined snaps – 22 on offense and 12 on special teams – in the contest.

Nick Gargiulo – Guard, Denver Broncos
Gargiulo is currently a member of the Broncos’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s Week 17 defeat.

Darius Rush – Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs
Rush is currently a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst practiced just one day this week – on Wednesday, where he was a limited participant – due to illness. He did not practice on either Tuesday or Thursday, which led to him carrying a “questionable” tag into Saturday’s game against the New England Patriots. Hurst ultimately did not suit up, as he was declared inactive 90 minutes before the game, which resulted in a 40-7 victory for the Chargers, kicked off.

NFC East

Rico Dowdle – Running back, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle’s fourth 100-yard performance of the season made history in the Cowboys’ 41-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He gained 104 rushing yards on 23 carries and an additional four receiving yards on one catch. While his lowlight of the day was a lost fumble in the fourth quarter, he still accumulated enough yardage to become the first undrafted player in Cowboys franchise history to record at least 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. He also became the first former Gamecock to accomplish the feat since Duce Staley did so in 2002.

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu made two total tackles, one of which was a solo stop, in the Cowboys’ Week 17 defeat. He played six snaps on defense and 18 more on special teams in the contest.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks did not practice on Wednesday, but he was a limited participant on Thursday and Friday of this week due to a knee injury. Despite carrying a “questionable” designation into Sunday’s game, he would play in it and catch one pass for 12 yards.

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 45-33 win over the Colts.

[Get USC Gamecocks app notifications]

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens did not appear on the Bears’ injury report this past week, but he was listed amongst the team’s inactive players 90 minutes before its Week 17 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. The Thursday Night Football game resulted in a 6-3 loss for the Bears.

Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare logged two total tackles, including one solo stop, in the Packers’ 27-25 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings. He earned most of his playing time on defense, where he appeared on 41 plays. But he also played 14 snaps on special teams, where he was the highest-graded Packers special teamer (71.1), according to PFF.

Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon was a valuable member of the Packers’ secondary in the team’s Week 17 loss. He recorded nine total tackles, eight of which were solo stops, and defended one pass while staying on the field for all 72 of the team’s defensive snaps. Nixon also appeared on 13 special teams plays.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore was held out of practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this past week due to rest. He did play in the Vikings’ 27-25 victory over the Packers, though, logging five solo tackles across 62 snaps of action.

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 17 win.

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 30-24 overtime defeat to the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney recorded his first sack since Week 13, in addition to two total tackles (one of which was a solo stop), in the Panthers’ 48-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He logged these statistics across 40 snaps of action.

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn did not practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this past week due to a hip injury. He was ultimately held out of the Panthers’ Week 17 defeat, marking the first time he has missed a game during the 2024 season.

Xavier Legette – Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Legette, who was battling wrist and hip injuries, fully participated in practice on Wednesday this past week. He was limited on Thursday and Friday, however, leading to him being labeled as “questionable” heading into Sunday’s contest. Legette went on to catch five passes for 28 yards.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum recorded five total tackles, two of which were solo stops, during Week 17. He played 49 snaps on defense and eight more on special teams.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Starting his second consecutive game, Rattler’s performance was reflective of that of the Saints as a whole in the team’s 25-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He completed 20 of his 36 pass attempts for 218 yards, and he was also the team’s leading rusher with 46 yards on three carries. Rattler also threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau in the second quarter. But Rattler was also responsible for two interceptions in the fourth quarter, as the Saints struggled throughout the game to generate momentum on offense.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
Prentice received one target in the Saints’ Week 17 defeat, but it resulted in an incomplete pass. He played six snaps on offense and 17 on special teams in the contest.

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. followed up last week’s 121-yard game with a somewhat subpar performance in the 49ers’ 40-34 defeat to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. He caught three passes for 16 yards, in addition to running the ball once for five yards. That lone carry led to a touchdown that gave the 49ers a 28-21 lead in the third quarter.

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones recorded six total tackles, one of which was a solo stop, in the Seahawks’ 6-3 victory over the Bears. He appeared on all 61 of the team’s defensive plays in the contest.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!