The Eagles’ protection problems helped produce an award-winning afternoon for Giants rookie linebacker Arvell Reese.

Reese was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 12 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in New York’s 19-11 victory at Lincoln Financial Field. The performance helped the Giants improve to 5-2-1 while sending Philadelphia into its bye week with a seventh consecutive loss.

It was Reese’s first career Defensive Player of the Week award, and his production placed him alongside several notable rookies in Giants and NFL history.

Arvell Reese made history against the Eagles

At 21 years and 70 days old, Reese became the youngest player to record at least three sacks in a game since individual sacks became an official statistic in 1982, according to the NFL.

He surpassed Vernon Maxwell, who was 21 years and 321 days old when he did it with the Baltimore Colts on Sept. 11, 1983. Reese also became the first NFC rookie with a three-sack game since Detroit’s James Houston on Jan. 1, 2023.

For Philadelphia, those milestones reflected an afternoon in which its offense repeatedly struggled to handle New York’s pressure. Joe Milton took seven sacks in his first Eagles start, losing 41 yards and a fumble while trying to generate consistency behind an unsettled offensive line. Reese delivered one of the game’s most damaging plays when he reached Milton unblocked for a strip-sack. Philadelphia had recovered a muffed punt at the Giants’ 47-yard line, but the turnover erased an opportunity to capitalize on favorable field position.

Giants rookie joins exclusive group of weekly award winners

Reese became the third Giants rookie linebacker to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors, joining Devon Kennard in Week 14 of the 2014 season and Kayvon Thibodeaux in Week 15 of 2022. He also became the fourth former Ohio State player to win the defensive award as a rookie, joining Nick Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones and Sonny Styles. Reese and Styles are the two linebackers in that group.

The recognition underscored how thoroughly New York disrupted Philadelphia’s offense. The Eagles finished with 220 total yards, converted five of 18 third-down opportunities and scored only three points after halftime.

Milton’s mobility provided occasional answers, but Reese’s pressure helped prevent Philadelphia from sustaining enough offense to support a six-sack performance by its own defense. As the Eagles evaluate protection and communication during the bye, his award serves as another reminder of the breakdowns they must address.