Arvell Reese spent most of Sunday in the Eagles’ backfield. The Giants’ rookie linebacker finished the 19-11 win in Philadelphia with 12 tackles, 10 of them solo, three sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble. All three sacks came on third down, and the first one, a strip-sack of Joe Milton in the second quarter, turned the game.
Reese is 21 years and 70 days old, which made him the youngest player with a three-sack game since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. According to the Giants, he is the second rookie in franchise history with three sacks in a game, after B.J. Hill in 2018, and the only rookie in the league since 2000 with at least 12 tackles and three sacks in one game. The Giants took him fifth overall in April out of Ohio State.
“Free as a layup”
The Eagles led 8-6 early in the second quarter after Saquon Barkley’s touchdown run and a two-point conversion by Milton. On third-and-5 from the Giants’ 42, Reese came off the edge, and the running back who could have picked him up went the other way. Reese hit Milton before he could throw, the ball came out, and Micah McFadden recovered it at midfield. The league’s tracking data timed the sack at 2.29 seconds, the fastest in the NFL this season.
Reese said after the game that he expected the running back to block him. “But as soon as I see him leave, I just went and did it,” he said. “I’m like, man, it’s free as a layup. Can’t miss it.” He said he saw Milton still holding the ball and simply kept going. Asked whether he was surprised Milton got up, he said he wasn’t thinking about that at all because he had heard the ball come out and was looking for it.
His second sack came later in the quarter, on third-and-10 near midfield. The third came with 7:22 to play and the Giants ahead 16-8, again on third-and-10, for a loss of 8 yards. On the Giants’ next possession, Dominic Zvada kicked a 49-yard field goal for a 19-8 lead. New York sacked Milton seven times in his first NFL start, and McFadden, starting for the injured Tremaine Edmunds, added nine tackles and a sack of his own.
Reese: “I just ended up on the right team”
Reese kept giving the credit to the coaches. On the first question about his day, he pointed to the play calls of defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Asked whether the defense wanted to rattle a quarterback making his first start, he said: “Yeah, that was definitely the idea.” He again credited “D-Will’s” play calls for “putting us in the right situation, putting us in the perfect position.”
He said Milton’s legs were a good matchup, because some plays “he got away.” He called it “probably one of” his best games so far in the league and said the win meant a lot because the Giants had heard all week how long it had been since they won in Philadelphia. It was their first win there since October 27, 2013. “That’s kind of crazy,” he said. “So it feel good to get a road win, especially in our division too.”
Asked why he has made the jump look so easy, Reese said he takes it play by play and game by game and would probably think about that at the end of the season. “I think I just ended up on the right team, man,” he said. “I ended up in the hands of some great coaches.” About the defense, he added: “We always like to say we’re gonna win games on defense, so, you know, that’s a great feeling.”
Newsome: “Now we looking at Defensive Player of the Year”
Cornerback Greg Newsome II said he had already told Reese that Defensive Rookie of the Year “should be set in stone.” “Now we looking at Defensive Player of the Year,” Newsome said. “That’s what we’re kind of looking towards now. But nah, man, he’s unbelievable. I said it from day one.” He listed how violently Reese plays, his pass rushing and his coverage, and added: “I don’t think people give enough credit for just how smart he is.” Newsome said Reese moves from off the ball into different rush lanes from play to play, and that is “a lot on a plate for a rookie.”
McFadden, who was next to the fumble when it came loose, kept it simple. “That’s just Arvell being Arvell, you know, flying off the edge,” he said. “All I saw was the dude’s legs go in the air and the ball was lying right there. So, I mean, he had a great game. It’s fun playing next to him.”
Harbaugh on Monday: “He does everything”
On Monday, John Harbaugh was asked how Reese got three sacks when he does not rush the passer on every play. “He’s really great and talented and, you know, he’s a gifted guy,” the Giants coach said. “I mean, a lot of people looked at him as a pass rusher, you know, off the edge.” Harbaugh said the Giants bring Reese from a lot of different places and that he might be running a pick, setting one or spying the quarterback. “He does everything,” he said.
Harbaugh said Reese never asks to rush more or to cover more. “He just, you tell me what to do. What does the defense call for? What’s my job?” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to be doing it a hundred miles an hour every time, you know, and it’s just very, very cool and refreshing to see that, especially in such a young guy.” He added that none of the sacks came from a special move: “I couldn’t tell you it was a speed rush or a counter rush or any kind of deal like that. It was just part of the blitz pattern that we were running, or the rush pattern we were running, and he did it.”
Through eight games, Reese has 68 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The Giants are 5-2-1 and lead the NFC East, while the Eagles fell to 2-7. Our game recap covers Jameis Winston’s go-ahead touchdown pass in relief of J.J. McCarthy, and we also have what Milton said before his first start. The Giants are on a short week: they host the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.
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