Giants Defensive Player Grades: Arvell Reese Is Unblockable as Pass Rush Overwhelms Eagles

The New York Giants defense faced the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and delivered one of their season's finest performances.

New York delivered seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

They held old friend Saquon Barkley to just 22 yards on 13 carries, a 1.7 yards-per-carry average. Other than a 24-yard run by newly minted starting quarterback Joe Milton III, the run defense was spectacular overall.

This week, there were many heroes, both up front and behind the scenes. Arvell Reese was a monster — anyone else sitting there wondering why five teams passed on this play-making young man like we are?

Kayvon Thibodeaux, while not delivering the numbers in the pass rush, made a bunch of little plays that helped others shine. Shelby Harris and D.J. Reader were clutch. And inside linebacker Micah McFadden once again was “super sub,” as he didn’t come off the field.

All in all, it was a stellar performance by the defense —perhaps their best of the season—and we don’t care if you want to argue it came against backups, because those guys still get paid.

Special teams? Without Dominic Zvada and Jordan Stout, this unit would be our pick for the goat horns this week. The unit was sloppy with penalties and communication, but thankfully it didn’t hurt the team.

Let’s get into this week’s individual player grades for the defense and special teams — there’s a lot to like for sure.

Defensive Line

D.J. Reader

Continuing to give this team one of the biggest bangs for their free-agent bucks, Reader recorded his first sack of the year with a resounding clean-up of an outside rush to the spot where he was crashing.

He added another quarterback hit while providing the only inside pass rush that this team can create. We’re not here to talk about Reader’s pass rush, since his run defense shows up on every down.

He seems to relish sticking his nose into the middle and is avoided on running downs like the plague.

By the way, his other tackle this week (besides the sack) also came in the backfield. Reader is not just absorbing double-teams; he’s beating them.

Bobby Jamison-Travis

One of the more interesting developments on this young team is the play of its until-now unknown rookies.

Jamison-Travis (like offensive lineman J.C. Davis, also a sixth-rounder) has taken over the rotation at nose tackle, and he’s playing the position well.

He recorded three tackles today on running downs while absorbing doubles and beating singles. He’s not only absorbing, but he’s also flashing out there.

This kid has life in his legs that gets him to places a nose tackle doesn’t normally go, but it’s his play at the point of attack that is drawing notice.

Shelby Harris

Continuing to give the defense its best defensive end play this year, Harris’ veteran eyes help him anticipate and crash spots and gaps; he’s just lacking the goods to finish off these quick attacks.

When left to play it straight up, he’s not exactly lighting things up, but he was in the backfield on a couple of passing-down snaps that contributed to the general chaos around today’s Eagles pocket and helped the defense accrue its season-high seven sacks this week.

Darius Alexander

Getting the last of today’s sacks on the game’s final play, Alexander smartly closed down on the front of the pocket and cleaned up the mess the outside pressure had created.

It was a smart veteran move by this second-year player who played one of his better games today. He knocked down a fourth-quarter pass, recorded two tackles, and showed good upfield movement on several passing downs.

We’re still waiting for the physicality to show up, but he’s got the goods to blow things up inside if he wants to. The question is, does he want it?

Outside Linebackers

Abdul Carter

Playing through an illness that kept him on the injury report all week, Carter was not himself out there and finished the game with just one measly assist, this on a day where the defense recorded seven sacks.

Carter was drawing double teams whenever he lined up on the edge, which opened things up for the rest of his teammates to attack.

What a testament to Carter’s impact that when his play is quiet, the defense plays one of its best games of the year. It’s certainly a good sign that this defense has a lot of good players.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

Continuing to play a solid, assignment-clean style, Thibodeaux probably played his best game of the year this week. Though he was shut out on the sack sheet, Thibodeaux’s pass rush got home, and the blitzing created chaos that freed him up to attack the pocket.

He had two quarterback hits and four total tackles on his sheet, and his edge run defense really showed its teeth again.

We’ve stopped waiting for flash plays from this player and accepted that he’s contributing to a good defense that seems to be improving by the week.

Of note, both of Thibodeaux’s quarterback hits came off inside rushes from the edge, as he continues to lack the bend and speed to get around the corner.

Trace Ford

Continuing to provide solid outside linebacker rotation snaps, Ford got in on one tackle when he ran the quarterback out of bounds.

He’s been playing a lot of coverage during these snaps, but not so much this week.

Dawuane Smoot

Elevated from the practice squad for today’s game, Smoot got plenty of playing time in the edge rotation and recorded two tackles, including credit for a sack when he dove at the quarterback’s legs in pursuit of a 1-yard fourth-quarter sack.

Smoot is a jumbo-sized outside linebacker whose pass-rush game was ho-hum, but he was consistently physical.

Inside Linebackers

Arvell Reese

The Giants’ star rookie had one of those halves that almost defy belief. We’re talking about his first half, where he recorded nine of his team-high 12 tackles, and two of his three sacks.

Some will like Reese’s blind-side sack, as thunderous a hit as you will ever see on a football field, while also forcing a fumble the Giants recovered.

Reese’s other first-half sack came off of a middle blitz on which he played contain. His third sack of the day came in the second half when Reese lined up over the guard standing up, beat him with a quick swim move, and then finished him.

Our favorite Reese play? A second-quarter outside run by Saquon Barkley that had opened up for the back.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Reese flashes into the play and absolutely rag-dolls Barkley to the turf for no gain; it was one of the more breathtakingly violent takedowns and finishes that we’ve ever seen.

Reese made tackles this week in every imaginable fashion—in coverage, edge blitzes, inside pass rushes—you name it.

Playing him at off-ball inside linebacker was one of the smartest things this braintrust ever did. You can’t run and hide from a great off-ball inside linebacker. The field isn’t big enough.

Micah McFadden

The Giants lost veteran inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds several weeks ago, and this defense hasn’t skipped a beat. In fact, it almost feels like it’s getting stronger.

McFadden had a top-shelf game of his own today, recording nine total tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery off an Arvell Reese sack.

On another day, we’d be raving about McFadden’s game and impressed by how perfectly this defense fits what he does best.

McFadden not only has a great nose for the football, but he’s also an excellent blitzer. He times things up very well, and he has a plan of attack on every single blitz, always attacking with aggressiveness and some surprising power.

He hasn’t been the great liability in coverage we expected him to be. The coaches just aren’t using him much in coverage; they are blitzing him instead.

It’s one of the things that he does best. Credit to the coaches for putting McFadden in positive positions, and to McFadden for capitalizing on these opportunities.

Cornerbacks

Greg Newsome II

Coming off the three-year extension that the Giants gave him this past week, Newsome played a top-notch, all-around corner game, excelling in both press and zone coverages.

One of his deep coverages should have drawn an offensive pass interference flag, as Newsome’s positioning was textbook and drew multiple tugs and contact from the receiver.

What impressed us the most about Newsome’s game today was his run defense, which was never hesitant and always in position. He finished the game with a strong six solo tackles, putting on a clinic on how to play the position.

Deonte Banks

Though he contributed four total tackles and a healthy amount of tight coverage throughout, the way Banks screwed up his blatant pass interference near the end zone tells you everything you need to know about how the league sees him.

A top corner doesn’t react the way he did on that play. A top corner does not panic. A top corner finishes this play with the ball in his back pocket.

The league doesn’t hesitate to go at him when the opportunity arises. Banks did everything right—tight in-your-face coverage all the way downfield—until he did everything wrong.

Yes, Banks is a good cover corner, a solid CB2 with the raw tools and the competitiveness to play with anyone, but he is not a CB1. He still doesn’t tackle well.

He committed another illegal contact foul late in the game that hurt. Banks still rarely gets involved in run defense. And he still lacks the feel to look back for the ball.

Dru Phillips

Whenever he’s on the field, Phillips is there to tackle. In fact, he added four more tackles to his impressive season-long sheet, and never passed up an opportunity to make a hit.

That “dog” mentality is one of the things that makes Phillips so valuable. So when Phillips came up on a huge 4th-and-11 with 40 seconds left in the game (remember, he’s out there to tackle), he completely whiffed in the open field against a tight end, a good five yards from the down marker.

The tight end got the first down, and the Eagles got life, thanks to a terrible missed tackle from your corner.

So what do the coaches do? With two seconds left, they send Phillips on a blitz! Because that’s what Phillips does; he’s a good blitzer. A sack resulted; game over. Good call, coaches.

Safeties

Jevon Holland

After missing a game, Holland’s return calmed the secondary and brought reliable playmaking to the group.

Two of Holland’s four total tackles came in the backfield as he picked his spots to come forward, while he spent most of his time in deep coverage, where he discouraged most deep throws.

Holland played every snap and looked extremely sharp.

Jason Pinnock

Splitting the snaps with Washington, Pinnock spent most of his day playing off in coverage and keeping everything in front of him. He flashed into several plays, but he never finished off any of them.

His strength remains in coverage where his range is solid, and his instincts and smarts shine through. Pinnock didn’t get his name on the stat sheet today except on special teams.

Ar’Darius Washington

Getting lots of snaps in today’s three-safety look that seemed to dominate the defensive formations, the ever-aggressive Washington worked his way forward into three total tackles, plus getting two passes defensed.

To say that Washington always seems around the ball is putting it mildly. His problem is finishing (one of those defended passes went through his hands and could have turned into a big play for the Eagles).

On the game’s final play, Washington joined his partner-in-aggression, Dru Phillips, on the blitz that finished the game with a sack.

Special Teams

Dominic Zvada

One of the best things coming out of today’s win was the big bounce-back game that this rookie produced, after struggling the last few games. Converted field goals of 53, 49, 38, and 49 were huge in today’s ugly-fest of a game where points—any points—were huge.

Zvada was responsible for 13 of the team’s 19 points, and there wasn’t a cheap kick out there to be made.

Kudos to the coaches for sticking with this talented big leg, and to the kid himself for stepping up and making the clutch kicks, every single one of them stress-free, right down the middle.

Zvada’s kickoffs were also solid throughout.

Jordan Stout

The Giants’ other kicker came up big today as well, with Stout punting six times for a 52.2-yard gross average. Even more important than that number was the importance of each punt. His first punt, a 62-yarder, pinned the Eagles at their own 6-yard line.

His next punt pinned them at their 11. His next one pinned them at their 18. His next punt, a 52-yarder, was downed at the Eagles’ 2-yard line.

A third-quarter 62-yarder was short-returned to the Eagles’ 22. Stout’s final punt was his best because of its importance. It came with just 1:42 left in the fourth quarter, his 47-yarder rolling out of bounds at the Eagles’ 5-yard line, forcing the Eagles to go 95 yards without any timeouts to tie the game. They didn’t, of course. Talk about clutch.

Ben Mann

More stellar deep-snapping from the team’s rookie deep snapper.

Charlie Jones

Limited to punt returns only today due to a hand injury that had to be wrapped, Jones committed his second return fumble of the season when he muffed a short punt that would have given the offense great field position.

Instead, Jones’ turnover gave the Eagles the field position. To say Jones is on a short leash is an understatement.

One more misplay and he’s gone. Jones handled three other punts for 25 return yards, plus two fair catches, but the one that hit the turf can’t be tolerated.

Greg Desrosiers

The team’s newest addition and kickoff returner couldn’t field either of Philadelphia’s short-but-legit “landing zone” kickoffs, accepting touchbacks and forcing the Giants offense to start both drives at their own 20-yard line.

Of note, Phil Mafah, elevated from the practice squad for this week’s game, was Desrosiers’ partner on these failed kickoff returns.

Jalin Hyatt

Getting snaps today as a gunner blocker on punt returns, Hyatt did not distinguish himself with a single successful block.

Also of note, the coaches chose two untested rookies to return kickoffs today, rather than Hyatt, who has been seen performing the job in practice.

Nic Jones

Continuing as the team’s top gunner, Jones was once again solid in coverage but, like too many of his teammates, was sloppy on returns, getting called for not one but two holds while blocking on punt returns.

Elijah Campbell

Also a solid gunner, Campbell joined the sloppy crew by getting called for an unnecessary roughness foul on kickoff coverage.

Campbell’s one special teams tackle today came on a kickoff.

When the special teams are committing fouls out there, it’s a sign that the team isn’t fully focused and is playing dumb, selfish football, which is never a good sign.

Zaire Barnes

The season-long leader of the special teams continues to be this linebacker who got credit for a punt return tackle as well as a kickoff return tackle.

Barnes is always showing up around the ball, even when he doesn’t get credit for the finish.

Malik Harrison

Leading the specials with three total tackles today, this veteran has a great instinct for finding the ball, especially on kickoffs, though one of his finishes today came on a punt coverage.

Trace Ford

Knowing where your bread is buttered is something that Ford realizes. While he continues to have a role in the outside linebacker rotation on defense, he continues to show up every week on the special teams tackle sheet, recording another punt coverage tackle today.

Tyler Nubin

Looking more and more like a future special teams stud, Nubin was in the middle of numerous coverages today, recording a tackle both on punt and kickoff coverage.

Also of note, Nubin has taken over the punt team fullback role and seems to have the perfect temperament for achieving special teams excellence.

Jason Pinnock

It’s always impressive to see a starter on defense making plays on specials. Pinnock’s lone tackle today came on kickoff coverage.

Jack Kelly

The rookie got in on one punt return tackle and was around the ball on several kickoff coverages.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google