Just because the New York Giants were on the wrong side of the 13-10 preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings doesn't mean there wasn't some good stuff in there.
It definitely wasn't the outcome any of us wanted, especially with it being the first live-action game under new head coach John Harbaugh, but better to shake out the nonsense and poor play now than to wait until the regular season. I can't stress enough that Big Blue went 3-0 in the preseason last year, only to go 4-13 when the games mattered.
The preseason still matters, just not when it comes to the standings or predicting how a team will look when the games actually count.
For example, Giants fans have known for a while now that rookie linebacker Arvell Reese has looked borderline unstoppable in shorts. His freakish size/speed combo is the stuff of legend, and while he's flashed at practice, nothing could have prepared us for how good he'd look in a game. And holy moly, did Reese light it up in his first in-game action for Big Blue.
Arvell Reese needed just 16 snaps to validate all the Giants hype
According to Pro Football Focus, the soon-to-be 21-year-old led all rookie first-round defenders with an impressive 88.2 overall grade on Saturday:
Highest defensive grade among first round rookies this preseason
— PFF (@PFF) August 16, 2026
Arvell Reese 88.2
Akheem Mesidor 81.6
Malachi Lawrence 74.8
Keldric Faulk 73.2 pic.twitter.com/8PSNrLiwCS
We must take that with a pinch of salt -- he did only play 16 snaps total (12 on defense, three on punt coverage, and one with the field goal blocking unit).
In his limited playing time, the 6-foot-4, 243-pound defensive demon showed up all over the field. He finished with two tackles, the more impressive of the two coming when he ran through fullback Max Bredeson before meeting running back Jordan Mason square in the chest at the line of scrimmage for no gain.
On one of his punt coverage reps, Reese spent the entire way down the field mixing it up with Vikings rookie linebacker Jacob Roberts. In a blatant display of "I'm just stronger than you," Reese leveled the former Calgary Stampeders and Wake Forest defender into oblivion, then followed up with another shove after Roberts tried to get up.
His role on New York's defense cannot be overstated. He might be Big Blue's single most important rookie this upcoming season. He'll be tasked with dropping into coverage and occasionally getting after the quarterback, but his biggest value lies in how well he can defend against the run.
The G-Men haven't fielded a competent run defense for quite some time, and if they're going to try to turn things around in Year 1 under Harbaugh, putting an end to getting run through the turf must be a priority.
Fortunately, it looks like Reese is up to the task. It’s only 16 snaps, but if an 88.2 PFF grade is any indication, the Giants might have truly something special brewing.
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