Mathias Kiwanuka says he and his teammates on the Giants defense "know how intense we played'' in a 52-27 rout of the Saints. And he is fine with his side of the ball not getting any headlines.
"You put up 52, you got to tip your hat to our offense,'' Kiwanuka said. "We'll take the back seat to them. They put up a significant number of points.''
A Giants defense taking a back seat is not the way the franchise has operated for, oh, about 87 years, and that is not the plan for the stretch run of this season. But it may be the reality.
One week before the scoring spree fueled by rookie David Wilson and Eli Manning's four scoring passes, the offense was able to produce only one touchdown in a penalty-filled 17-16 loss to the Redskins. It is not as if the Manning attack has been a point-producing machine, but it is a more consistent unit than the defense, which, despite intercepting Drew Brees twice and forcing four turnovers, did not put in a "signature defensive performance'' in the eyes of defensive tackle Chris Canty.
Anthony J. Causi
PLUCKY NUMBERS: The Giants defense still is searching for a group effort to match last season's 24-2 playoff win over Julio Jones (above) and the Falcons.
What is the definition of a signature defensive performance?
"It's simple,'' Canty said. "It's stop the run, rush the passer and create turnovers. You have to do all of those things and we haven't put all three of those things together yet in a performance this season so far, so that's what we have to do.''
Canty might be a harsh marker, as the defensive efforts in victories over playoff-bound teams such as the 49ers (26-3) and the Packers (38-10) more than made the grade. Tom Coughlin didn't agree with Canty, saying, "I don't know what he's referring to.'' Coughlin cited games against the Panthers, 49ers and Packers as top defensive outings.
"I like what I hear if you're telling me that the defensive players don't think they've accomplished what they set out to and that they think their best games are in front of them,'' Coughlin said. "I would encourage that.''
What is clear is the Giants do not go about their defensive business in a conventional manner. Remember how utterly dominant they were in the 24-2 beat-down of the Falcons in last season's NFC divisional playoff game? The Giants face the Falcons again Sunday, this time in the Georgia Dome, and no one can reasonably expect that sort of defensive destruction.
Pitching a near-shutout won't be needed to keep the Giants (8-5) in first place in the NFC East ahead of the surging Redskins and Cowboys (both 7-6), but holding down the well-balanced Falcons will take more than what the Giants have often offered.
The Giants have turned into a bend-but-don't-break type defense, which is not the intention.
"Hopefully we're better than that,'' Coughlin said.
Are they? Judged on Canty's three ingredients for a "signature'' performance, the Giants often have struggled on defense. The first step — stopping the run — has been problematic. They allow 123.3 rushing yards per game and didn't do a very good job of it against the Saints, who eventually had to junk the run to try to get back in the game.
Canty's next requirement — rush the passer — has been a mixed bag. The sack total of 31 is not shabby, but the pressure has not been reliable and is hurt by the inability to control the ground game. Opposing quarterbacks have had a field day throwing deep on the Giants, amassing 50 pass plays of 20 or more yards including six by Brees.
The only area where the Giants come up big is forcing turnovers. Their 34 takeaways ranks in the top three in the NFL, with their 20 interceptions only behind the Bears (21). Taking the ball away is the great equalizer, and it's bailed the Giants out time and time again.
"While we've given up quite a few yards, we've had opportunities to get the ball back to our offense in a number of different ways,'' Canty said. "And that's the most important thing, just being able to give them the ball back.''
paul.schwartz@nypost.com
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