Charlie Jones had just muffed a punt, the Eagles had the ball in Giants territory, and New York was already trailing 8-6. It looked like the kind of mistake that can turn a tough afternoon in Philadelphia into a long one.

Then Arvell Reese came flying through untouched at Joe Milton III.

The ball popped loose, Micah McFadden recovered at midfield, and Philadelphia’s chance to stretch their lead vanished. Reese got to Milton in 2.29 seconds, the fastest sack in the NFL this season.

Not a bad way to erase a special teams mistake.

Reese finished Sunday’s 19-11 win with 12 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. The Giants also won in Philadelphia for the first time since 2013, and took sole possession of the NFC East.

And the rookie they’ve been moving all over the defense is starting to look like one of the biggest reasons they’ve gotten there.

Three Sacks, Three Different Problems

The strip-sack is the one everybody’s going to remember. Honestly, Milton probably will too.

But Reese’s second sack tells you just as much about why he’s such a pain to play against. He started as a rusher, got stopped by a guard, then backed off and kept his eyes on Milton. When the quarterback tried to escape, Reese was right there waiting.

That’s recognition. A young linebacker can have all the speed in the world and still run himself right out of the play. Reese stayed home and gave himself a chance to finish it.

The third came with 7:22 left and the Giants protecting a 16-8 lead. Philadelphia had gotten it to midfield. On third-and-10, Reese attacked inside against Landon Dickerson and dropped Milton for an eight-yard loss. The Eagles botched the ensuing punt, and New York’s next field goal turned it into a two-score game. That whole sequence essentially put the game away.

All three sacks came on third down. One took the ball away. The other two forced punts. In a game where New York scored just one touchdown, those are huge possessions.

Two of Reese’s sacks came while he was lined up at inside linebacker. He’s the only player this season to get two sacks from that alignment in one game. Line him up outside, bring him through the middle, let him keep an eye on the quarterback — Philadelphia had trouble with all of it.

Wilson Knows What He’s Got

Give Dennard Wilson some credit for this, too. The Giants lost Brian Burns to a torn ACL in Week 3, which left their defensive coordinator with a pretty big hole in the pass rush. Wilson’s answer has been to get more aggressive and move the pressure around.

And Reese gives him plenty to work with.

On Monday, John Harbaugh talked about the rookie rushing from different spots, setting picks for teammates and spying quarterbacks.

He does everything.

That’s the key. Reese seems perfectly happy doing whatever the call asks him to do. Wilson can show pressure and force an offense to figure it out before Reese gets there.

This hasn’t just been a one-Sunday thing, either. Reese has 4.5 sacks and 14 pressures despite rushing only about 11 times per game. He’s also allowing just an 81.3 passer rating in coverage.

The Giants are getting something from him when he drops back, then bringing him forward and making him somebody else’s problem.

They Needed Every Bit of It

The rest of the defense did their part in Philadelphia. Seven sacks. Just 220 yards allowed. The Eagles converted only five of 18 third downs. Saquon Barkley and Elijah Mitchell combined for 28 yards on 16 carries.

That’s how you survive an afternoon when your own quarterbacks get sacked six times and Jameis Winston has to come off the bench to lead your only touchdown drive.

But they’re winning games while they sort the rest out. Reese is already helping decide those games, eight games into his career.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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