Tate was barely seen on field in Lions' loss to the Bears

CHICAGO --Golden Tate has been on the field for almost every Detroit Lions offensive snap this season. If he's been pulled out, it's been for a play or two and then he's right back in there.

On Sunday during a 17-14 loss to the Chicago Bears, Tate was barely on the field during the second half at all. Whether it was a benching or not was not entirely clear.

Entering Sunday, Tate has been on the field for 86.8 percent of the Lions' offensive snaps. Yet Lions coach Jim Caldwell, when asked if Tate was benched, wouldn't say the team benched him and used Andre Roberts on the outside instead.

"We move him around quite a bit," Caldwell said. "We gave Andre an opportunity. Andre obviously deserves it and it was our plan beforehand. You know, but he came back in. He was back in there and he'll do well."

Tate said he knew during the week the coaches wanted to use Roberts more, but it didn't sound like he knew it was going to be at his expense. Tate said after Sunday's game he was not told he wouldn't be playing much in the second half.

Tate's disappearance from the field came after a miscommunication with Matthew Stafford on a drive late in the first half that led to a Chicago interception. After the play, Stafford got pretty heated both on the field and the sideline. After the game, Tate took responsibility for the miscommunication.

Tate said he had not spoken to the coaches about it, so he wasn't sure if it led to his dip in usage in the second half against Detroit.

But to Tate, did it feel like he was benched?

"Um, it was a feeling I've never had before, for sure," Tate said. "But I just stayed ready and that was that."

Tate said it felt "different," but wasn't sure how to answer a follow-up question elaborating on what he meant about it being a feeling he had never had before.

Tate had one catch for 1 yard Sunday against the Bears on four targets. It was the fewest receptions Tate has had in a regular-season game since Week 11 of the 2013 season, when he had one catch for 26 yards. It was his fewest yards since he went without a catch during Week 7 of the 2012 season against San Francisco.