NFL Football Scores, Schedule & News: Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals Win Season Openers
From the very first drive of the game, the Detroit Lions were in complete control against the New York Giants Monday night, with the Lions beating the Giants 35-14 on NFL Monday Night Football to open the 2014 NFL season.
The Lions scored on their opening drive with a huge 67-yard pass to Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. Jon Gruden called it "the easiest touchdown of Calvin Johnson's career" because he was so wide open. Johnson was open by about 35 yards because Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Steve Brown collided with one another.
Later in the first quarter, Matthew Stafford connected with Johnson again in the end zone for a 16-yard strike. That capped off a nine-play, 69-yard drive, and the Lions led 14-0 after the first quarter.
As for the Giants, the offense is a huge work in progress. Quarterback Eli Manning is not on the same page with his receivers. The Giants are entering this season with a new offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo, so this is expected.
The Giants scored a second quarter touchdown to tight end Larry Donnell, to make the score 14-7. Donnell would be the leading receiver for the Giants with five catches and 56 yards. Victor Cruz was nowhere to be found for the majority of the game, with just two catches and 24 yards.
In the second half, the Lions completely took over. The Lions' pass rush pressured Manning, forced turnovers and stopped the run. The Lions dominated the second half 21-7, eventually winning the game, 35-14. This marks the fourth consecutive season the Giants have lost their opening game of the season.
Arizona Cardinals 18, San Diego Chargers 17
Over in Arizona, football fans got to watch a West Coast battle between the Cardinals and San Diego Chargers at University of Phoenix Stadium, with the Cardinals winning 18-17.
This game was much closer than earlier game. The first half was very sloppy with penalties, zero touchdowns scored and a lot of dropped balls. The biggest play of the first half was a 63-yard pass to Michael Floyd by Carson Palmer deep in his own zone. Unfortunately, the Cardinals would later turn the ball over on that drive.
The Cardinals led at half time 6-3.
In the third quarter, the Chargers' offense woke up and erupted for two touchdowns, winning the quarter 14-0. Quarterback Philip Rivers and the Chargers led after three quarters 17-6. The Cardinals wouldn't go quietly. Trailing by 11 in the final quarter, Carson Palmer found Stepfan Taylor for a five-yard touchdown to decrease the deficit.
The Chargers wouldn't score a single point in the fourth quarter. Drops, misreads, and big mistakes highlighted their final quarter. The Chargers averaged a pathetic two yards per carry for the game.
On the final drive of the game for the Cardinals, they began on their own nine yard line. Trailing 17-12, the Cardinals needed a touchdown to win the game. Palmer and the Cardinals would do just that and win the game in dramatic fashion. Rookie receiver John Brown caught the game-winning 13-yard pass for the Cardinals.
Schedule and Scores
To find the full Week 2 NFL 2014 season schedule for each team, click here. To find full Week 1 NFL scores, visit this link.
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