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Lions tight end Eric Ebron has been much better without Brandon Pettigrew in the lineup this season. Now he'll be all alone the rest of the way.

(Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Eric Ebron's best game of the season was an 89-yard effort against Minnesota in Week 7. Brandon Pettigrew did not play.

His second-best game of the season was a 61-yard outing against Denver in Week 3. Pettigrew didn't play in that one, either.

All told, Ebron is averaging just 24.1 yards receiving when Pettigrew plays -- but that jumps to 53.8 yards when he doesn't.

What does that all mean? According to Ebron, not a whole lot.

"You're right, most of my production did come when he was out," the Detroit Lions tight end said. "But that doesn't mean anything. I just got to continue to grind."

Still, it is a fact that Ebron's best work has often come when Pettigrew was out. And the Lions will be banking on seeing a lot more of that.

They have no choice.

The Lions placed Pettigrew on season-ending injured reserve Monday after the tight end suffered another torn ACL in his left knee in Sunday's loss against the Rams. Ebron and Timothy Wright are the only healthy tight ends remaining on the 53-man roster.

That means Ebron should be featured prominently in the final three games of the season, giving him an opportunity to get in some much-needed work. And it's a chance to improve his stat line, which currently reads 34 catches for 384 yards and four touchdowns.

Ebron's role had diminished in recent weeks due to the club's frustrations with his drop issues. He didn't even start in four of the past five games, and Pettigrew was featured more in passing situations.

But now Pettigrew is done for the year, which means it's going to be the Ebron show from here on out.

"Just got to get into the mind-set of being multi-dimensional in this offense," he said. "It's dope. I like it when I have a lot on my plate. It helps me perform better. So we'll see how it goes."

Where the Lions will miss Pettigrew the most is as a blocker. Ebron and Wright are both pass-catchers by trade who struggle with the physical components of the position.

It's possible Detroit signs an extra blocking tight end to finish the season, or uses a combination of offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas and fullback Michael Burton to fill those duties. Both have done that before.

Wright came to the Lions in a preseason trade, but has been a healthy scratch since Week 7. He has just eight catches for 68 yards and one touchdown in six games.

He's looking forward to rejoining the fold down the stretch.

"It is what it is," Wright said of his role this season. "It's the National Football League. Some things are out of your control. Right now it is what it is, and I'm getting ready to play.

"I always work hard. Whatever the coaches say I need to work on that week, I try to focus in on it and put some extra time on it. But every day I'm out there working hard, being in my playbook, getting myself ready to go. And now is my opportunity. So got to get going."

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