Matthew Stafford lit up the Giants defense to the tune of 346 yards passing. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
DETROIT — Matthew Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson on two first-quarter touchdown passes, including a 67-yarder, and the Detroit Lions handed new head coach Jim Caldwell a 35-14 victory over the New York Giants in his debut Monday night at Ford Field.
Stafford completed 22 of 32 passes for 346 yards and was not intercepted. The Detroit quarterback also ran for a touchdown. Johnson, the All-Pro wide receiver, caught seven passes for 164 yards.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning completed 18 of 33 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice.
Detroit scored 10 points off turnovers in the third quarter to take a 20-point lead.
Manning was intercepted by linebacker DeAndre Levy on New York’s first possession of the second half. The Lions settled for kicker Nate Freese’s 28-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead.
Freese’s second field goal of the third, a 27-yarder, made it 20-7.
Manning turned it over again when safety Glover Quin stepped in front of wide receiver Victor Cruz and returned the interception to the New York 19. The Lions cashed in on Stafford’s third-and-goal scramble from the 5.
Giants running back Rashad Jennings’ 1-yard touchdown plunge cut Detroit’s lead to 27-14 with 11:53 remaining.
The Lions iced the game with a methodical 12-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 7:14. Running back Joique Bell scored from 3 yards out, and the Lions added a two-point conversion on a Stafford pass to tight end Joseph Fauria.
Stafford and Johnson made some nifty moves on their early 67-yard scoring pass. Stafford scrambled to his right to avoid the pass rush and launched the ball downfield to a wide-open Johnson, who used an out-and-in cut to shake cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. As Rodgers-Cromartie collided with safety Stevie Brown, Johnson gathered in the pass at the 30-yard line and then coasted into the end zone.
Johnson slipped behind safety Antrel Rolle for his second touchdown of the first quarter, a 16-yard diving catch.
A roughing-the-punter penalty helped the Giants pull within 14-7. After that call, New York got another break on a pass-interference call against cornerback Darius Slay in the end zone. The Giants needed all four downs from the 1 before they finally scored on Manning’s pass to tight end Larry Donnell.
NOTES: Detroit won its previous three season openers, while New York lost its previous three. … Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr., a rookie first-round pick, was inactive because of a hamstring injury. … Detroit S James Ihedigbo was sidelined with knee and neck issues. … Lions WR Calvin Johnson tied the franchise record of 107 consecutive games with at least one reception on his first-quarter touchdown reception. He pulled even with Herman Moore (1991-98). . … The teams combined for 78 turnovers last season. … Giants LG Weston Richburg was the only rookie starter.
