DETROIT -- Mark Sanchezs screen pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown -- by a rookie who didnt start playing football until the year after Sanchez was drafted. It was an immediate flashback to the problems Sanchez has had over the last couple years, but at least this time, he bounced back. "I know Im getting better at that," Sanchez said. "I think it comes with maturity and experience. You cant beat yourself up for a mistake." Sanchez threw a touchdown pass before leaving New Yorks exhibition opener, and the Jets went on to lose to the Detroit Lions 26-17 on Friday night. Geno Smith, the rookie who is Sanchezs main competition this preseason, left in the third quarter with a right ankle injury. Lions rookie Ziggy Ansah made an immediate impression when he intercepted Sanchezs pass and ran it back 14 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. "Its not going to stop there. I think he has a lot of great natural talent," Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. "He has great instincts for finding the ball and making plays." Sanchez went 10 of 13 for 125 yards. Smith was 6 of 7 for 47 yards but did not lead any scoring drives. Detroits Matthew Stafford played two series, going 3 of 8 for 58 yards and leading the Lions to a field goal. All three of his completions went to Calvin Johnson. Ansah grew up in Ghana, playing soccer and basketball. He put on football pads for the first time three years ago, and now the Lions hope hell become a big part of their defence. Detroit took the 6-foot-5 defensive end with the No. 5 pick in this years draft. Ansah was able to get his hands up quickly when he intercepted Sanchezs pass, and his return to the end zone made it 7-0. "Weve got a lot of work to do," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "We had 11 penalties, and you cant win if you keep playing first-and-20. We had two turnovers and we didnt get a takeaway. We have to stop the self-inflicted problems pretty quickly." Sanchez looked sharp at times, completing an 18-yard pass over the middle to Clyde Gates on third-and-10, shortly after the interception. The Jets trailed 10-0 when Sanchez led them on an 80-yard scoring drive that ended when he found Jeff Cumberland for a 26-yard touchdown play. Sanchez is coming off two mistake-prone seasons in which he led the NFL with 52 turnovers in that span. His early interception against Detroit did not inspire confidence, but its still not clear what the Jets have in Smith. "I thought all three quarterbacks looked good when the protection held up," Ryan said. Smith was able to walk back to the tunnel under his own power, and Ryan said hed be looked at Saturday. There was only one major injury in the game -- Jets running back John Griffin fractured a leg. The Lions didnt answer all of their questions. The Stafford-to-Johnson connection looked as good as ever, but Detroit needs other receiving threats. Nate Burleson didnt catch a pass, and Ryan Broyles -- who is recovering from a right knee injury -- didnt play. Reggie Bush, who signed with the Lions in the off-season, contributed one highlight on his first carry. Bush slipped to the outside and jumped over cornerback Kyle Wilson, who missed completely on a diving tackle attempt. That play drew some ooohs and ahhhs from the crowd. "He was already low, he was already short, so he just made it kind of easy on me," Bush said. "It was an easy decision." Detroit must finally replace longtime kicker Jason Hanson, who retired. David Akers made a 47-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Norwegian sensation Havard Rugland added kicks of 49 and 50 yards in the second half. Rugland became a hit because of a YouTube video he posted last year that showed him kicking a football to a friend on a boat in a lake, among other tricks. Shaun Hill, Detroits backup quarterback, went 11 of 18 for 136 yards and a touchdown. NOTES: The Jets were without WR Santonio Holmes, who has been out with a foot injury. RB Joe McKnight was also out -- hes been going through the leagues official concussion protocol. ... Lions S Louis Delmas (left knee) did not play either. ... Detroit WR Matt Willis had three catches for 51 yards, including a fine grab in the back corner of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Custom Detroit Tigers Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Anthony Gose Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. http://www... . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. [url=http://www.baseballtigersonline.com/francisco-rodriguez-tigers-jersey/]Fran... Rodriguez Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Ian Kinsler Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services.The Winnipeg Jets are in Calgary for just the second time in their three-year history since relocating from Atlanta. This is the second of three games between these teams this season. Calgary were 5-4 winners in a shoot out at MTS Centre Nov. 18. The last time they play will be the final game of the regular season April 11 at the Saddledome. The (20-23-5) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 45 points. They are 10 points back of Minnesota for a Western Conference Wild Card spot. Ondrej Pavelec (12-19-4, 3.08, .899) will start in goal. This will be his fourth straight start. Jets Projected Lines: Ladd-Little-Frolik Thorburn-Scheifele-Wheeler Setoguchi-Jokinen-Byfuglien Wright-ODell-Peluso Enstrom-Bogosian Trouba-Stuart Pardy-Ellerby Evander Kane (hand injury) did not make the trip. Dustin Byfuglien is on a three game point streak that includes one goal aand four assists.dddddddddddd. Eric ODell has scored in back to back games. Calgary enters this game after losing Tuesday in Nashville 4-2. They have just two wins in their last eight games and are on a six game losing streak on home ice. The (16-25-6) Flames are sixth in the Central Division with 38 points and sit 17 points out of a playoff spot. Reto Berra (5-13-2, 3.03, .899) will start in goal. He is on a personal five game losing streak. Flames Projected Lines: Hudler-Backlund-Galiardi Bouma-Stajan-Stempniak Colborne-Monahan-Byron Westgarth-Street-McGratton Brodie-Giordano Smid-Butler Wideman-OBrien Jiri Hudler has four assists in his last three games. Mikael Backlund has scored in three straight games. Following tonights game, the Jets return to Winnipeg and host the Edmonton Oilers Saturday afternoon, 1pm at MTS Centre. Cheap Jerseys ' ' '