DETROIT -- was at his best when improvising - and that alone may be a sign of improvement.Stafford threw two early touchdown pa ses to , and Detroit beat the 35-14 on Monday night in 's first game as coach. It was a bright start for the and their quarterback after the team collapsed down the stretch in 2013 - in part because of Stafford's turnovers."I don't work on my moves a lot during practice, but I know I have to be better with my feet this year so that we can keep plays alive," Stafford said. "On both of the touchdown pa ses to Calvin, the offensive line got me a lot of time, and he was able to uncover Virgil Van Dijk Jersey himself and find somewhere open."The intercepted twice in their first Monday night opener since 1971. Stafford went 22 of 32 for 346 yards, and Johnson had seven catches for 164 yards.Manning was 18 of 33 for 163 yards and a touchdown for the , who started 0-6 last season and never led in their 2014 opener."No excuses. We played very poorly," coach said. "We don't have a lot to be proud of here. Couldn't move the ball, couldn't stop them, turned the ball over, got into that busine s again. Got a punt blocked, so you name it. It was a nightmare performance."Stafford scrambled to his right and threw deep to Johnson on the game's first drive, and defensive backs and appeared to collide. Nobody else on the was anywhere near Detroit's star receiver, who was able to jog into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.Later in the first, 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 and a 14-0 lead."When Matt breaks the pocket, I know I have to keep working, because he can put the ball anywhere on the field," Johnson said. "We worked out together a lot during the offseason, and we did a lot of footwork drills. You can see that it is paying off for him. He's making moves."Stafford's two touchdown pa ses came on what looked like broken plays, and so did his 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He scrambled up the middle on that one and cut to his left to avoid a potential tackler.The also mi sed the playoffs last season, thanks mostly to that terrible start. They were eager to begin on a better note against the , but barely five minutes into the game, defensive end went down with a neck injury. He was able to walk off the field, but he was taken in for X-rays.Pierre-Paul was back in the game in the second quarter.The revamped their secondary in the offseason, but Stafford took advantage of a couple big breakdowns. In the third quarter, he found for a 44-yard gain on third-and-11, which led to a field goal.Detroit's secondary, meanwhile, looked solid despite an injury that kept newly acquired safety out of the game. 's interception in the third helped set up Stafford's touchdown run that made it 27-7.Johnson tied Herman Moore's team record with his 107th straight game with a catch. He was banged up down the stretch last season, and Stafford struggled with turnovers as a playoff berth slipped away. Caldwell's hiring was in many ways viewed as an attempt to help Stafford take another step forward.The former No. 1 overall draft pick completed his first six pa ses Monday. Stafford went 14 of 17 for 212 yards in the first half.Detroit led 14-7 at halftime, and rookie made a 28-yard field goal early in the third, after an interception by gave the the ball at the New York 18. US National Team Jersey Freese added a 27-yarder later that quarter. scored on a 1-yard run for New York in the fourth, but Detroit's answered with a 3-yard scoring run and the added a 2-point conversion."I thought the signature drive of the game was in the fourth quarter. They had cut into the lead, and we knew we needed to grind down the clock," said Caldwell, who took over in the offseason after was fired. "That's what we mean when we talk about embracing the grind."NOTES: offensive tackle went down with a calf injury in the first half, and cornerback hurt his knee. linebacker hurt his hamstring. ... There was a pregame ceremony honoring William Clay Ford, who owned the until he died in March. His widow Martha - who took over control of the franchise - and their four children received a game ball after the win.Copyright 2014 by The A sociated Pre sRelive 's performance against the with