Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 18 recap

As the play clock ticked down to zero, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold waited for center Garrett Bradbury to snap the ball. Once it reached his hands, Darnold took a knee one yard behind the line of scrimmage. And just like that, the 2024 National Football League regular season was over.

Sunday night’s matchup between the Vikings and the Detroit Lions was just one of many over the course of the weekend that featured alumni of the South Carolina football program.

Here’s how former Gamecocks fared for their respective professional teams during the league’s slate of Week 18 games.

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AFC East

Cam Smith – Cornerback, Miami Dolphins
Smith was ultimately not activated from the Dolphins’ injury reserve ahead of the team’s regular season finale against the New York Jets. Because of this, he did not feature in the Dolphins’ 32-20 loss.

Marcellas Dial Jr. – Cornerback, New England Patriots
Dial Jr. saw by far the most playing time in a single game of his NFL career in the Patriots’ 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. He made his first career start in the team’s season finale. Heading into the contest with six professional tackles, Dial Jr. added five more (including four solo stops) across 73 combined snaps on defense and special teams.

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 18 victory.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
Kinlaw returned to the stat sheet in the Jets’ 32-20 win over the Dolphins. He recorded one forced fumble and one sack, in addition to two tackles (one solo), across 36 defensive snaps. Kinlaw also appeared on four special teams plays.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
Lammons’ two-year tenure with the Colts appears to be over, as the team waived him on Jan. 4. Fellow cornerback JuJu Brents was activated from the team’s injury reserve in a subsequent transaction. The move came one day before the Colts’ 26-23 overtime victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
Adkins extended his streak of games with at least one reception to five in the Broncos’ 38-0 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught a season-high three passes for 25 yards; his longest reception went for a 12-yard gain. Adkins played 54 combined snaps – 44 on offense and 10 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 18 victory.

Darius Rush – Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs
Rush is currently a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s 38-0 defeat to the Broncos.

Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst did not appear on the Chargers’ injury report ahead of the team’s Week 18 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. He did not record any statistics for the second consecutive week, but he did play six offensive snaps in the 34-20 win.

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NFC East

Rico Dowdle – Running back, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle capped off his best season as a professional with another solid performance in the Cowboys’ 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders. He totaled 72 rushing yards on 22 carries, in addition to 12 receiving yards on two catches.

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu made one solo tackle in the Cowboys’ Week 18 defeat. He played four snaps on defense and 19 more on special teams in the contest.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks fully participated in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this past week after suffering from a knee injury last week. He did not carry a designation into Sunday’s game against the Commanders and played 37 combined snaps on offense and 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 20-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens was listed as inactive 90 minutes before the Bears’ Week 18 contest against the Green Bay Packers kicked off, marking his second absence in as many weeks. The game resulted in a 24-22 victory.

Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare did not record any statistics in the Packers’ 24-22 defeat to the Bears. He earned most of his playing time on defense, where he appeared on 35 plays. But Enagbare also played seven snaps on special teams.

Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon was a valuable member of the Packers’ secondary in the team’s Week 18 loss. He recorded six tackles (four solo) while staying on the field for all 62 of the team’s defensive snaps. Nixon also appeared on nine special teams plays, where he returned three kickoffs for 73 yards.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore was held out of practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this past week due to rest – marking the second straight week he had done so. He recorded two solo tackles across 62 snaps of action in the Vikings’ 31-9 defeat to the Lions on Sunday Night Football.

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 18 loss.

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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 44-38 overtime defeat to the Carolina Panthers.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney had a strong outing in the Panthers’ regular season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, which resulted in a 44-38 win. He made four tackles (one solo) and added one sack and one pass defended across 48 defensive snaps. In the process, he received the Panthers’ third-highest overall defensive grade (68.3) and highest pass rushing grade (86.9), according to Pro Football Focus.

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn finished his first-ever Pro Bowl campaign with a second consecutive absence. He was held out of the Panthers’ Week 18 victory due to a hip injury after not appearing in practice this past week.

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 three passes for 30 yards.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum recorded five tackles (one solo) during Week 18. He played 70 snaps on defense and seven more on special teams.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Starting his third consecutive game, Rattler logged one of his best individual performances as a professional in the Saints’ 27-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 26 of his 42 pass attempts for 240 yards, in addition to gaining 11 yards on one rushing attempt. Rattler threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis in the second quarter, and he also did not commit a turnover for just the second time this season.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
Prentice did not record any statistics in the Saints’ Week 18 defeat. He did, however, play 12 snaps on offense and an additional 11 on special teams.

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. missed practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this past week due to rib and wrist injuries. As a result, he was held out of the 49ers’ final regular season game, which resulted in a 47-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones recorded nine tackles (one solo) in the Seahawks’ 30-25 win over the Los Angeles Rams. His performance was highly-regarded by PFF – not only did he earn the team’s highest run defense grade (78.1), but he also received its second-highest overall defensive grade (77.9) and pass rush grade (77.6). Jones appeared on all 66 of the team’s defensive plays in the contest.

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