Mathias Kiwanuka

The Giants may be in the process of fazing out veteran defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka.

(Noah K. Murray/USA Today Sports)

EAST RUTHERFORD -- It took all of one week for Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell to adjust the game plan. Veteran defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka's role already appears to be decreasing.

This was one of my main observations when going over the Giants game film (defense only, Conor has the offense) from Sunday's 25-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It was, in part, because the individual who took some of the snaps in place of Kiwanuka was among the most impressive defensive player on the field.

Defensive end Robert Ayers was the Giants' best pass rusher in Sunday's loss, where the defense was hardly to blame after allowing only 13 of the 25 points. (The other 12 points came courtesy of the special teams and offense.) Ayers' official final stat line looked like this: 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 quarterback hurry.

It wasn't that much different from Kiwanuka's -- 2 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hurries -- but the quality of play was substantial.

Kiwanuka was average, mixing his usual good with bad. Ayers excelled, and did it in almost half the snaps (25 compared to 46), with some of those coming from the interior on pass-rushing downs.

Kiwanuka played in 85 percent of the snaps in the Giants opener. He played in 65 percent of the snaps against the Cardinals. The veteran started Sunday at left defensive end, but in each half Ayers was on the field in that position for the second drive.

Here is Ayers' sack, which came on his first snap in the contest at defensive end. He beat two men on the play, tight end John Carlson and right tackle Bobby Massie.

If Ayers keeps this up, his playing time will only increase, likely at the expense of Kiwanuka. But that's not the only reason the Giants used Kiwanuka less on Sunday.

They also employed a different heavy defensive line look on running downs that didn't have him in the mix. The Giants used three defensive tackles Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson and Johnathan Hankins) and shifted defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the left side for 10 plays.

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There was a lot to like about the Giants young defensive players, particularly Hankins. Considered mostly a run-stopper, he was especially impressive as a pass rusher as well.

Hankins recorded his first career sack on Sunday. The second-year defensive tackle used his hands well and separated from left guard Ted Larsen on the play. It was an impressive display of athleticism and skill for a man his size (320 pounds).

It was just one of several productive Hankins pass rushes. On the Ayers sack (see above), Hankins was deep in the backfield. And on this play in the first quarter, he forces Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton to throw an incompletion in the end zone because of his penetration and paw in the face and throwing lane.

There has been a lot to like in the first two weeks from Hankins. On Sunday, there was a lot to like from several young Giants defenders.

Second-year defensive end Damontre Moore showed increased awareness in the run game. Here he fights off his block and tracks back to tackle Arizona running back Jonathan Dwyer for a 4-yard gain on second-and-10. It put the Giants in position for a stop that they made one play later.

That was a play Moore probably wouldn't have made last year. It was also good to see after his disappointing opener.

Moore also wreaked some havoc as a pass rusher despite playing just 20 total defensive snaps in the contest. Here he is deep the backfield and gets a pressure on Stanton.

But wait, there was more from the Giants youngest defensive players. Even rookie defensive tackle Jay Bromley showed some promise in his first career game. The Syracuse product was getting good push on his 12 defensive snaps, including on this play.

See, there are some reasons for optimism after all with this team despite their 0-2 record.

Other Defensive Observations:

• It wasn't a great day for some of the Giants linebackers. Jameel McClain struggled in coverage and failed to protect the edge on more than one occasion.

Veteran Mark Herzlich also didn't fare too well when he came into the contest at middle linebacker after Jon Beason left with a toe/foot injury. Herzlich was called for a holding penalty, was responsible for several completions over the middle in the fourth quarter and struggled working sideline to sideline.

The ideal example is on this play, where he just didn't have the speed to cut off running back Andre Ellington and keep him from getting outside for a 15-yard gain.

I would be stunned if the Giants didn't go with McClain at middle linebacker moving forward with Beason potentially sidelined. Herzlich or Spencer Paysinger would play on the strongside with rookie Devon Kennard (hamstring) likely still sidelined.

• Jason Pierre-Paul had a strong game. But from what I've seen in the first two games, his biggest strength right now is more against the run than as a pass rusher, even if he recorded 1.5 sacks on Sunday.

Pierre-Paul again showed a tremendous ability to use his size and strength to get down the line on running plays. Here he tracks down Ellington for a minimal gain on the left side of the defense despite beginning the play at right defense end.

While it does show burst and explosion, I still have questions about Pierre-Paul being a 16.5-sack-type player again. His sack came on a busted screen -- which he blew up with an excellent read -- and his half-sack came when he was mistakenly unblocked.

Arizona left tackle Jared Veldheer actually did a pretty solid job 1-on-1 against Pierre-Paul in passing situations (aside from the hold he got away with above on the play where Bromley pushed his way into the backfield).

• Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had a tremendous bounce-back game after admittedly playing poorly in Detroit. He made several nice plays on the ball and had two big hits. That's what they paid $35 million for him this offseason, to help silence the likes of Arizona star WR Larry Fitzgerald.

• The Giants played it rather conservatively on defense against a quarterback without a ton of game experience. They blitzed on just seven of 22 pass plays in the first three quarters. One of their most common blitz option involved safety Stevie Brown being sent to hunt Stanton. Brown rushed three times in the first half alone. Linebacker Jaquian Williams also rushed on three plays.

• Overall, the defense played well enough to win. If not for a fluke-ish penalty where McClain didn't hear the whistle and was flagged for a personal foul on third-and-long, the Giants defense probably wouldn't have allowed a single touchdown. Sure, there were some inexplicable third-and-long conversions, but the defense should have allowed a total of nine points. That should be good enough to win on any Sunday in the NFL.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@nj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.