It was readily apparent on Sunday that Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell turned his attention from beating the Arizona Cardinals to actually holding on to the football. 

By now, it's well known that Caldwell benched Matthew Stafford after the quarterback threw three interceptions in just over two quarters of play. Caldwell had previously told the quarterback at the half that he would be benched if he threw another pick. 

He did. 

Now comes this piece of news from Detroit following its embarrassing 42-17 home loss to Arizona. Rookie running back Ameer Abdullah was benched after putting the ball on the turf twice, including a lost fumble in the first quarter. Filling in for the former Nebraska standout after he was asked to take a seat on the pine was fellow rookie Zach Zenner, who tallied just 30 yards on 10 attempts. 

After the game, Caldwell indicated that Abdullah's benching was solely due to his fumble issues: 

"Anytime you put the ball on the ground, obviously, your chances of being able to play for us consistently are going to be minimized." 

Showing that he understood the gravity of the situation, the rookie running back fully understood why he was benched: 

"(That's) exactly what a head coach is supposed to say, can't have me in there if I'm making those mistakes." 

Abdullah entered the regular year as someone most of us were keeping our eyes on. He had just put up a stellar preseason performance and looked electric with the ball in his hands. Add in the injury to Joique Bell, and most figured the first-year running back would see ample playing time. 

Prior to Sunday's outing, Abdullah had put the ball on the ground once in 43 touches. During that very same span, he was averaging a hair over 4.5 yards per touch and just 3.4 yards per rush. Those numbers aren't enough for a running back to get consistent touches on a good offense. Factor in ball-security issues, and the decision to bench Abdullah wasn't surprising.