Lions tight end Joseph Fauria was noticeably absent in red-zone situations during Sunday's game against the Cowboys. The Lions often went with three-receiver sets against Dallas' nickel defense, meaning only one tight end was on the field for Detroit, which was starter Brandon Pettigrew.
Fauria played just 15 of 82 offensive snaps Sunday (18.3 percent) and finished without a reception.
"Every week is going to be a little bit different," coach Jim Schwartz said, per MLive.com. "I think that everybody's role is going to change from week-to-week, and things like that. He can contribute in other ways other than the red zone.
"We used a lot of three-wide receiver personnel, and it only keeps one tight end on the field. That's no reflection on him. He wasn't benched or de-emphasized. We wanted to keep them in nickel packages."