Syracuse Football: Arizona Cardinals struggle, NFL Orange alum update

In Week 4 of the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals continue to struggle. We take a look at the former Syracuse football players on that team and around the league.

Syracuse football currently has four former players on active rosters. Chris Slayton is the only Orange player signed to a practice squad. Slayton impressed enough during the preseason with the New York Giants to earn a spot with the practice squad.

The Giants are 2-2 on the year and have looked good on offense with rookie Daniel Jones under center. The squad seems to be in a good place, but the Giants could always promote Slayton throughout the season.

The Giants have five active defensive linemen on the roster. One lousy game or injury could provide an opportunity for Slayton to find himself on the 53-man roster.

The Giants are a young squad that is hoping to be on the right path. Former Orange punter, Riley Dixon, had an excellent game in Week 4 for the G-men.

Dixon punted the ball three times for an average of 55 yards per punt. Each ball landed within the 20-yard line. A performance like this allows some comfort for the Giants defense as the Washington Redskins were continually backed up in their own territory to start their drives.

Dixon now holds the fourth-best net average per punt numbers in the league with a net of 46.8 yards per punt. The stat net average takes the distance of the punt minus the return yards.

In Week 4 the Giants defeated the Redskins 24-3. Next week New York faces Minnesota and Dixon’s leg will be on display.

The Arizona Cardinals are alongside the Washington Redskins as the only winless teams remaining in the NFC. Former Orange, Justin Pugh, and Chandler Jones both play for the Cardinals. Let’s look at the ineffectiveness of the Cardinals this season.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is having a hard time implementing his college-style offense to the pro level. His offense has quite literally taken some hits early this season. The Cardinals have allowed 20 sacks this season, which is the most in the NFL.

Justin Pugh finds himself playing on a relatively veteran offensive-line that has seemingly struggled in front of the rookie signal-caller, Kyler Murray. Only one member of the O-line has less than five seasons of NFL experience. On paper, this group should be able to protect Murray, but in reality, they have fallen flat.

Now it is understandable that there are kinks in a new system and inexperience in the most pivotal position. However, Pugh as a veteran lineman hopes to rally his crew and protect Murray in the upcoming game against Cincinnati Bengals.

On the defensive side of the ball, Chandler Jones is at the middle of the action. In Week 4 the former ‘Cuse linebacker got the start but didn’t register a statistic against the Seahawks.

Jones is known as a pass rusher, but right now, his team needs him to become a run stopper. The Cardinals have given up the fifth most amount of yards per game on the ground. Chandler Jones is a reliable defensive threat for the Cardinals and hopes to make his name known in Week 5.

The last current Syracuse player in the NFL is Zaire Franklin for the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 4 the Colts lost to the Oakland Raiders by a score of 31-24.

Franklin did record his first tackle of the season for the Colts. The more exposure Franklin gets, the more potential that he could be integrated more into the defensive schemes.

The Colts are middle of the road this season when it comes to forcing mistakes by their opposition. They are bottom five in pass deflections. This may not seem like a mind-boggling statistic. However, it does point to a larger issue of the lack of pressure caused upfront.

In Week 5 the Colts face a potent offense in the Kansas City Chiefs. We may see Zaire Franklin used as a spark plug in this matchup.