Matthew Stafford improvised brilliantly on two early touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson, and Detroit beat the New York Giants 35-14 on Monday night in Jim Caldwell’s first game as Lions head coach.
Matthew Stafford improvised brilliantly on two early touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson, and Detroit beat the New York Giants 35-14 on Monday night in Jim Caldwell’s first game as Lions head coach.Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Stafford also ran for a touchdown for Detroit, which intercepted Eli Manning twice in the Lions’ first Monday night opener since 1971. Detroit collapsed down the stretch last year and missed the postseason, and Jim Schwartz was fired and replaced by Caldwell.

Stafford went 22-of-32 for 346 yards. Johnson had seven catches for 164 yards.

Manning was 18-of-33 for 163 yards and a touchdown for the Giants, who started 0-6 last season and never led in their 2014 opener.

Cardinals 18, Chargers 17

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Carson Palmer threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to John Brown with 2 minutes, 25 seconds to play, and the Arizona Cardinals rallied to beat the San Diego Chargers 18-17 on Monday night.

Brown, a rookie from little Pittsburgh State, caught a short pass and then eluded tacklers into the end zone, capping an 11-play, 91-yard drive.

Arizona trailed 17-6 after three quarters.

Jerry Attaochu blocked a punt and forced a fumble, setting up 10 Chargers points.

With his team trailing 6-3 at the half, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers went 6-for-6 for 82 yards on a drive to open the second half. His six-yard pass to Malcom Floyd for the touchdown put the Chargers ahead 10-6.