Stephen Tulloch was an every-down linebacker during his first four seasons with the Lions, but after a poor Week 1 performance, the coaches reduced his role in Week 2.
The starting middle linebacker played 44 of 65 defensive snaps, mostly ceding duties to Tahir Whitehead, who had 17 snaps, when he exited, and coach Jim Caldwell declined to provide details for why Tulloch came out of the game at time.
“We run different packages,” he said. “You’ll see a lot of different guys in on different situations depending on the team that we play.”
The Lions did little effectively on defense Sunday as the Vikings, led by Adrian Peterson, ran for 199 yards.