DETROIT — Eli Manning and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants finally stumbled on the road.

Only this time, it didn't really matter.

Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, struggled on his only two series in the preseason opener and the Giants lost to the Detroit Lions 13-10 today. New York won its final 11 games away from Giants Stadium last season, including all four in the playoffs en route to the championship.

Manning completed two of his six passes for 19 yards. He was 0-for-3 on New York's first possession, including two passes that were knocked down by Lions linemen.

Eddie Johnson's 31-yard field goal with 2:47 to play gave Detroit the win.

With Manning long out of the game and Super Bowl hero David Tyree home with a knee injury, the Giants offense was in the hands of third-string quarterback David Carr, who tried to try to put together a winning drive in the final moments.

New York got as far as the Detroit 40, but the comeback attempt ended when Carr was called for intentional grounding, then sacked by rookie Andre Fluellen on the next play.

Both teams pulled their starters after one quarter, when the Lions led 7-0. Detroit scored on the game's opening drive when Roy Williams broke free of Michael Johnson's tackle and went 20 yards with a short pass from Jon Kitna.

In his two drives, Kitna went 6-for-7 for 106 yards and the touchdown to Williams. Detroit's first-team offense struggled on the ground, though, as Tatum Bell carried seven times for eight yards.

Anthony Wright led the Giants on their first sustained drive late in the second quarter, and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 7-3. Jason Hanson answered with a 50-yarder in the last minute of the half to restore Detroit's seven-point lead.

Johnson, who has virtually no chance to beat out Hanson for the starting job, missed a 37-yard field goal midway through the third. The Giants then tied the game with 12:09 left on Carr's 13-yard pass to Craphonso Thorpe.

Drew Stanton, Detroit's third-string quarterback, had three long runs as the Lions drove deep into Giants territory in the final minutes.

The drive stalled at the New York 23, but Johnson's field-goal attempt was right down the middle.

Notes: Detroit's first-round pick, tackle Gosder Cherilus, had three penalties — one for holding and two false starts — and was booed by the crowd. ... The Giants had four wide receivers on the inactive list, including a pair with local ties — Mario Manningham (Michigan) and Plaxico Burress (Michigan State). ... Giants rookie LB Jonathan Goff fractured a bone in his back in the second quarter and didn't return. ... Lions CB Stanley Wilson left the game in the second half with an Achilles' tendon injury.