EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Detroit Lions overcame Calvin Johnson being limited by an ankle injury to beat the New York Jets 24-17 on Sunday.
Jeremy Ross and Eric Ebron caught scoring passes for the Lions, who are off to a 3-1 start for the second straight season. Stafford finished 24 of 34 for 293 yards.
Johnson, who was in and out of the game, was clearly impeded by his injured ankle. He had just two catches for 12 yards. Golden Tate had a big game, catching eight passes for 116 yards.
A struggling Geno Smith had two more turnovers as chants of "We Want Vick!" echoed throughout MetLife Stadium at times. The Jets, who made it close on Chris Johnson's 35-yard run with 6:58 left, fell to 1-3 for the first time in Rex Ryan's six seasons as coach.
Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press
Relive Matthew Stafford's performance against the Jets with Game Rewind
