Arvell Reese has earned his first NFC Defensive Player of the Week Award.
It almost certainly will not be the last.
The Giants' rookie linebacker registered 12 tackles and three sacks against the Eagles, including a forced fumble on perhaps the biggest hit of the NFL season. Reese's signature performance helped lead the Giants to a 19-11 victory in Philadelphia, a place the team had not won since he was 8 years old.
"It's what you hope for," coach John Harbaugh said about the Giants drafting Reese with the fifth overall pick. "I won't say we didn't think it was possible. I mean, that's what we hoped for and he fell to us. [General manager] Joe [Schoen] and I were, we were giddy. I think we were kind of beside ourselves. Some of you guys use words like that, 'giddy' and things like that. And we were because he's really a good player and he's all the other things, too. He's a great young man, he's humble, he's very tough, he works really hard, he's very coachable. He wants to do things the right way. He's a great leader in his own quiet way. Couldn't say enough about him but you know what, he's still young."
View photos from the Giants' Week 9 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.
S Jevón Holland (8)
LB Arvell Reese (52), CB Dru Phillips (22),
K Dominic Zvada (34)
DL DJ Reader (98)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
K Dominic Zvada (34), P Jordan Stout (15)
Head Coach John Harbaugh
DL DJ Reader (98)
K Dominic Zvada (34), P Jordan Stout (15)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
OLB Abdul Carter (3)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
OLB Abdul Carter (3)
WR Jalin Hyatt (81)
OLB Abdul Carter (3)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
K Dominic Zvada (34), P Jordan Stout (15), OLB Abdul Carter (3)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
ILB Micah McFadden (41), S Jevón Holland (8), CB Greg Newsome II (20)
OLB Abdul Carter (3), K Dominic Zvada (34), QB JJ McCarthy (18)
WR Jalin Hyatt (81)
QB JJ McCarthy (18), C Bryan Hudson (60), G Jon Runyan Jr. (76), OL Francis "SiSi" Mauigoa (65)
K Dominic Zvada (34)
DL DJ Reader (98)
K Dominic Zvada (34), P Jordan Stout (15)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
WR Malik Nabers (1)
K Dominic Zvada (34)
K Dominic Zvada (34), OLB Abdul Carter (3)
LB Arvell Reese (52), DL Dawuane Smoot (96)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
CB Deonte Banks (2)
K Dominic Zvada (34)
DL DJ Reader (98)
CB Dru Phillips (22)
LB Jack Kelly (51)
LS Ben Mann (58), LB Arvell Reese (52)
DL DJ Reader (98)
DL DJ Reader (98)
DL DJ Reader (98)
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis (97), DT Darius Alexander (91), DL Dawuane Smoot (96)
P Jordan Stout (15)
DL DJ Reader (98)
DL DJ Reader (98)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
DL DJ Reader (98)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
OLB Abdul Carter (3)
S Ar'Darius Washington (24)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
QB JJ McCarthy (18), OL Francis "SiSi" Mauigoa (65)
K Dominic Zvada (34)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
DL DJ Reader (98)
DL Shelby Harris (93)
DL Shelby Harris (93)
OLB Zaire Barnes (46)
OLB Zaire Barnes (46)
DL DJ Reader (98), DL Shelby Harris (93), DL Dawuane Smoot (96)
LB Trace Ford (48)
S Jevón Holland (8), CB Greg Newsome II (20)
S Jevón Holland (8), CB Greg Newsome II (20)
S Jevón Holland (8), CB Greg Newsome II (20)
S Jevón Holland (8)
S Jevón Holland (8)
S Jevón Holland (8)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
OLB Zaire Barnes (46), CB Nic Jones (31), LB Jack Kelly (51)
CB Nic Jones (31)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
RB Phil Robinson (36)
S Ar'Darius Washington (24), LB Arvell Reese (52)
LB Malik Harrison (54), RB Phil Robinson (36), S Tyler Nubin (27)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
LB Malik Harrison (54), LB Jack Kelly (51)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
TE Isaiah Likely (9), OL Francis "SiSi" Mauigoa (65)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
CB Deonte Banks (2), ILB Micah McFadden (41)
OLB Abdul Carter (3)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
CB Greg Newsome II (20), LB Arvell Reese (52)
LB Arvell Reese (52), S Jason Pinnock (25)
LB Malik Harrison (54), LB Jack Kelly (51)
LB Malik Harrison (54), LB Jack Kelly (51)
CB Deonte Banks (2), ILB Micah McFadden (41)
S Jevón Holland (8)
RB Devin Singletary (26)
TE Isaiah Likely (9)
TE Isaiah Likely (9)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
TE Isaiah Likely (9)
TE Isaiah Likely (9), QB Jameis Winston (19)
TE Isaiah Likely (9)
TE Isaiah Likely (9)
P Jordan Stout (15), OL Francis "SiSi" Mauigoa (65)
S Jevón Holland (8), CB Nikko Reed (35)
S Jevón Holland (8), CB Nikko Reed (35)
C Bryan Hudson (60)
CB Nic Jones (31)
LB Arvell Reese (52)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
CB Greg Newsome II (20)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
QB Jameis Winston (19)
QB Jameis Winston (19)
WR Darnell Mooney (17)
WR Darnell Mooney (17)
S Tyler Nubin (27)
CB Dru Phillips (22)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
QB JJ McCarthy (18)
CB Greg Newsome II (20), LB Arvell Reese (52), DT Darius Alexander (91)
CB Greg Newsome II (20), LB Arvell Reese (52), DT Darius Alexander (91)
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis (97)
RB Gregory Desrosiers (30)
Head Coach John Harbaugh
K Dominic Zvada (34), P Jordan Stout (15), T Jermaine Eluemunor (72)
Reese, at 21 years old and 70 days, became the youngest player in NFL history – and just the second Giants rookie (B.J. Hill on Dec. 2, 2018 vs. Chicago) – to record at least three sacks in a single game since it became an official statistic in 1982.
Furthermore, the Ohio State product is the only NFL rookie to have a game with at least 10 tackles and three sacks since 1994, when tackles first became official. Only four players overall had achieved that stat line
For the season, Reese has recorded 66 total tackles (47 solo), eight tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks, four passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His 47 solo tackles are tied for the second-most in the NFL and lead all rookies.
And he's only getting better.
"He's so coachable," Harbaugh said. "We're bringing him from a lot of different places, and a lot of times he's picking, or he's setting the pick, or he's spying. He does everything. He never gets into that world like, 'I want to do this or that.' Or 'I want to rush the passer.' Or 'I want to cover man to man.' He doesn't worry about it. He just says, 'You tell me what to do. What does the defense call for? What's my job?' He's going to be doing it 100 miles an hour every time, and it's just very, very cool and refreshing to see that, especially in such a young guy."
The Giants keep stacking awards as they stand atop the NFC East heading into another divisional game against the Commanders on Thursday night.
Malik Nabers, who led the NFL in receiving yards throughout October, was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month. He was the first Giants player to win the award on his side of the ball since quarterback Eli Manning in November of 2008. Nabers was also the franchise's first wide receiver to win it since monthly awards were initially handed out in 1986.
A month ago, the league named safety Jevón Holland as the conference's top defensive player for September.
Reese is the second Giant to be named NFC Defensive Player of the Week this season. Cornerback Deonte Banks won the award following his 98-yard walk-off interception return for a touchdown against the Cardinals in Week 4. Reese was voted Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week following that game, and he is once again nominated for the award this week.
White Out Game for Giants vs. Commanders on TNF
The New York Giants are calling on fans to help create a "White Out" environment at MetLife Stadium when they take on the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, Nov. 12 at 8:15 p.m.
