Gamecocks in the NFL: Week 16 recap

National Football League teams are reaching the “do-or-die” phase of the regular season. While some have already clinched postseason berths, others are still in the hunt for the opportunity to represent their conferences in the Super Bowl.

Former South Carolina football players have played important roles for their respective teams as they’ve fought for spots in the playoffs. Here’s how Gamecock football alumni performed during Week 16.

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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’ 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. 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’ 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He did not record any statistics across 20 special teams snaps, the most of any player on the team. Dial was, however, the only Patriots player to commit a penalty on 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 16 defeat.

Javon Kinlaw – Defensive tackle, New York Jets
Kinlaw registered three total tackles, two of which were solo stops, in the Jets’ 19-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He saw most of his playing time on the defensive side of the football, where he played 38 snaps. Kinlaw also appeared on five special teams plays.

AFC South

Chris Lammons – Defensive back, Indianapolis Colts
Lammons did not appear on the Colts’ injury report this past week, but he was listed amongst the team’s inactive players 90 minutes before its Week 16 contest against the Tennessee Titans. The game resulted in a 38-30 victory for the Colts.

AFC West

Nate Adkins – Tight end, Denver Broncos
Adkins logged multiple receptions for the first time during the 2024 season in the Broncos’ 34-27 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. His two targets resulted in completed passes totaling 18 yards. Over the course of the entire game, Adkins played 21 offensive snaps and 18 more on special teams. He received the Broncos’ highest overall offensive grade (79.7), according to Pro Football Focus.

Nick Gargiulo – Guard, Denver Broncos
Gargiulo is currently a member of the Broncos’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s Week 16 loss.

Darius Rush – Cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs
Rush is currently a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad and did not feature in the team’s 27-19 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Hayden Hurst – Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers
Hurst was activated off injury reserve ahead of the Chargers’ Week 16 contest against the Broncos, which resulted in a 34-27 victory. He saw the field for the first time since Nov. 10, appearing on eight offensive plays. During that time frame, he caught one pass for eight yards.

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NFC East

Rico Dowdle – Running back, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle’s three-game streak of 100-yard performances came to a close in the Cowboys’ 26-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. He ultimately did not play a large role in the Cowboys’ offensive success, totaling just 23 rushing yards on 13 carries. Dowdle added 28 receiving yards on three receptions.

Israel Mukuamu – Safety, Dallas Cowboys
Mukuamu found himself on the stat sheet for the second consecutive week in the Cowboys’ Week 16 victory. He recorded one solo tackle across 26 combined snaps on defense and special teams.

Jalen Brooks – Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks was not listed on the Cowboys’ injury report on Wednesday. He was, however, a limited participant in practice on Thursday and did not participate in practice on Friday of this past week due to a knee injury. Brooks’ game status was “unspecified” heading into Sunday, but he was named inactive 90 minutes before kickoff.

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 34-7 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons.

NFC North

Zacch Pickens – Defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
Pickens recorded a four-tackle, two-solo stop performance in the Bears’ 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. He accumulated these tackles, in addition to one sack, across 36 combined snaps on defense and special teams.

Kingsley Enagbare – Defensive end, Green Bay Packers
Enagbare logged one total tackle in the Packers’ 34-0 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. He earned most of his playing time on defense, where he appeared on 24 plays.

Keisean Nixon – Defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Nixon made three tackles, all of which were solo stops, across 57 defensive snaps in the Packers’ Week 16 victory. His most valuable contribution, though, came late in the second quarter, when he recorded a sack and forced fumble on the same play. Nixon also saw action on one special teams play, where he returned a kickoff 38 yards.

Stephon Gilmore – Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
Gilmore fully participated in practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this past week and did not carry an injury designation into the Vikings’ Week 16 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. He defended two passes and made two total tackles (including one solo stop) in the game, which resulted in a 27-24 win for the Vikings.

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 16 victory.

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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 34-7 win over the Giants.

Jadeveon Clowney – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Clowney served as a disruptive force behind the line of scrimmage in the Panthers’ 36-30 overtime victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Across 47 snaps, he made four total tackles, including one solo stop. Clowney earned the team’s third-highest overall defensive PFF grade (71.6) in the process.

Jaycee Horn – Cornerback, Carolina Panthers
Horn mirrored Clowney’s stat line – four total tackles, with one being a solo stop – during Week 16. He appeared on all 70 of the team’s defensive plays in the contest.

Xavier Legette – Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Legette, who was battling a hip injury, did not practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this past week. He was declared “out” ahead of the Panthers’ Week 16 win.

D.J. Wonnum – Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
Wonnum recorded his fourth sack of the 2024 season, along with five total tackles (two of which were solo stops), during Week 16. He played 63 snaps on defense and six more on special teams.

Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Starting his first game since Week 8, Rattler’s performance was reflective of that of the Saints as a whole in the team’s 34-0 defeat to the Packers. He completed 15 of his 30 pass attempts for 153 yards, and he was also the team’s leading rusher with 28 yards on five carries. But Rattler also committed two turnovers – one fumble and one interception – in the second quarter, as the Saints struggled throughout the game to generate momentum on offense.

Adam Prentice – Fullback, New Orleans Saints
Prentice did not record any offensive statistics across six snaps of action in the Saints’ Week 16 loss. He did, however, record one tackle across four plays on special teams, earning the team’s highest special teams PFF grade (66.0).

NFC West

Deebo Samuel Sr. – Wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel Sr. rebounded from his string of poor performances in a massive way, totaling 121 scrimmage yards – more yards than he accumulated over the past five weeks combined (117) – in the 49ers’ 29-17 defeat to the Dolphins. 96 of these yards came on seven receptions, while the remaining 25 came on five rushing attempts. Samuel also scored his first touchdown since Week 6 on a 16-yard pass from Brock Purdy early in the second quarter.

Ernest Jones – Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks
Jones recorded just five total tackles, which is tied for his second-lowest single-game total of the season, in the Seahawks’ 27-24 loss to the Vikings. Two of his tackles were solo stops.

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