DETROIT (AP) – Matthew Stafford improvised brilliantly on two touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson, and the Detroit Lions led the New York Giants 14-0 after the first quarter Monday night.
Stafford scrambled to his right and threw deep to Johnson on the game’s first drive, and defensive backs Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Stevie Brown appeared to collide. Nobody else on the Giants was anywhere near Detroit’s star receiver, who was able to jog into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.
Later in the quarter, Stafford scrambled to his left, and then threw back to his right. Johnson made a diving catch in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard TD.
It was a bright start for the Lions in their first Monday night opener since 1971. Detroit collapsed down the stretch last year and missed the postseason, and coach Jim Schwartz was replaced by Jim Caldwell.
The Giants also missed the playoffs last season, thanks mostly to an 0-6 start. They were eager to begin on a better note against the Lions, but barely five minutes into the game, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul went down with a neck injury. He was able to walk off the field, but he was taken in for X-rays.