Syracuse Football: Arizona Cardinals get 1st win, Orange NFL alum update
Arizona picks up their first win of the season with help from former Orange. We take a look at all Syracuse football alumni in the NFL after Week 5.
The Arizona Cardinals picked up their first win of the season against a struggling Cincinnati Bengals squad. The game ended in a 26-23 victory that keeps the Bengals winless in 2019. Two Syracuse football grads contributed to the winning effort.
Arizona has struggled to click in their college-style offense through the first four weeks. But in Week 5, Kyler Murray arguably had one of his best performances en route to his first NFL win.
Chandler Jones contributed tremendously to the defense and was a menace against Cincy. The former SU linebacker recorded four tackles and one sack. His fourth sack of the season puts him as the top sack leader for the Cardinals this year. Jones is also in the team lead with three forced fumbles. Both stats put him just above former Baltimore Ravens legendary linebacker, Terrell Suggs.
On the offensive side of the ball, former Orange O-linemen, Justin Pugh, made his fifth start of the season. Pugh entered the game with a shoulder injury but was cleared for play.
The Cardinals O-line had success against the Bengals, and it showed in the stat sheet. Kyler
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Murray was brought down only once in Week 5 despite being sacked more than any other quarterback entering the week.
The run game also excelled as Murray led the way and scrambled for 93 yards and a touchdown. Overall, the Cardinals rushed for 266 yards behind a strong offensive line performance. Justin Pugh was a staple and remains to be against the Falcons next week.
In Indianapolis, Zaire Franklin made an appearance on primetime for the Colts. Franklin did not record any statistics. However, an injury did force him to exit the game early. The SU alum came down with an apparent hamstring injury against the Chiefs. Indy has a bye week where Franklin can recover, and we will see if he is ready for Week 7 against the Houston Texans.
Moving onto the NFC, the last Orange in the NFL is New York Giants punter, Riley Dixon. The G-men dropped their first game with Daniel Jones starting under center this week. The squad faltered, losing to a powerful offensive attack from the Minnesota Vikings.
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Dixon punted three times with a net average of 33 yards per punt. This total was his lowest on the season. He did sneak one kick within the 20-yard line to pin the Vikings deep in their own territory. The Giants face the Patriots on Thursday Night Football to start Week 6.