DETROIT -- A few thoughts on the Detroit Lions' 35-14 win over the Giants at Ford Field.

What it means: The Lions have to be pleased with what they saw Monday night in Jim Caldwell’s head coaching debut. It is only one game, to be sure, but the Lions saw a much more efficient and smarter Matthew Stafford at quarterback. He was patient with his receivers. He looked more mobile than ever, and he was willing to wait out a play for an open receiver instead of just chucking the ball to Calvin Johnson -- a huge difference from prior seasons.

Stock Watch: Rising: Stafford, Johnson, Golden Tate and DeAndre Levy. The three of them were extremely efficient Monday night. Stafford, who went 22-of-32 for 346 yards and three touchdowns (one rushing), looked possibly even better than his 2011 self. Johnson caught two touchdowns and almost had two others. Tate was the No. 2 receiver the Lions always hoped for. Levy picked up from where he left off in 2013, and he made 10 tackles and intercepted a pass.

Falling: The Lions rushing game was abysmal until the final drives of the game. In the first half, Detroit had 13 carries for 15 yards, and 10 of those came on one run from Joique Bell.

Levy continues ascent: The linebacker went from being an average player prior to the 2013 season to a fringe Pro Bowl-caliber player the past season. Not much changed in the season opener. He intercepted a pass -- one that led to a Detroit touchdown and broke open the game on the next offensive possession -- and continued his consistent sideline-to-sideline performance. He finished with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and the interception.

Game ball: Matthew Stafford. Although Johnson caught both of his touchdown passes, it was Stafford who made those plays happen. He used his feet to create time for Johnson to break free on both touchdowns and threw perfect passes both times. He also, in a rarity for him, had a 5-yard touchdown run on which he actually juked a New York defender. For a night at least, he looked like the quarterback Detroit has always wanted him to be.

What’s next: The Lions go on the road for the first time and head to Carolina on Sunday to face the Panthers (1-0).