ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- One day after an uplifting, season-opening victory, the Detroit Lions' worst fears concerning cornerback Bill Bentley's knee injury were confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
The Lions announced that Bentley, the team's top nickel back, is being placed on injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
A suspect secondary just got more suspect.
The injury came on the fifth defensive snap in Monday's 35-14 rout of the New York Giants. Bentley was called for pass interference on Giants receiver Victor Cruz on the play.
Talk about adding injury to insult.
Rookie Nevin Lawson, a fourth-round draft pick from Utah State, ended up taking over for Bentley and was matched the rest of the night against Cruz, a highly rated slot receiver.
Cruz caught only two passes in the game for 24 yards while being targeted six times.
"Lawson had an opportunity to play one of the better receivers in this league in the slot," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Tuesday afternoon during his weekly news conference. "I think he fared decently. It's a very, very challenging situation for him, but I think he learned a lot. We hope he continues to grow."
With Bentley's injury, the Lions likely will be forced to add a free-agent cornerback in the next few days. The sooner, the better.
The team brought in 12-time Pro Bowler Champ Bailey for a workout last week, but there's been no indication that the Lions are serious about adding him to the roster.
Maybe Bentley's injury will change that situation.
Bailey, 36, was cut by the New Orleans Saints after the final preseason game, raising questions over whether he can still be a productive player at this point in his career.
The Lions have only one cornerback on their 10-man practice squad in Mohammed Seisay, an undrafted rookie from Nebraska.
"Length, speed, toughness, potential," Caldwell said, describing Seisay's assets. "He's got a big upside."
The Lions, however, need help immediately in the form of a veteran, not another untested rookie.
Caldwell, whose news conference was held before the extent of Bentley's injury was released, indicated that, if necessary, such a transaction could be made.
The Lions did little during the offseason to fix this ongoing problem at cornerback, even despite a foot injury that ultimately led to Chris Houston's release. Houston entered last season as the team's No. 1 corner.
The top free-agent addition at the position during the offseason was Cassius Vaughn, who made 18 starts in his first four years in the league with Denver/Indianapolis. Vaughn is listed as the top reserve behind Darius Slay at one of the outside cornerback spots.
Lawson was the only defensive back selected among the eight players drafted last spring by the Lions.
Those who criticized general manager Martin Mayhew for taking a tight end (Eric Ebron) with the 10th pick overall, instead of a cornerback, have even more reason to argue their side following Bentley's injury.
This is the second time in three years that Bentley suffered an early season-ending injury. He played in only four games as a rookie two years ago because of shoulder surgery.
Bentley (third round) was one of three cornerbacks drafted by Detroit in 2012. The other two -- Chris Greenwood (fifth round) and Jonte Green (sixth round) -- were waived in the last couple weeks.
Meanwhile, James Ihedigbo, the starter at strong safety, sat out the opening game because of knee and neck injuries.
Ihedigbo had returned to practice on a limited basis late last week, suggesting that he could be ready for the next game, Sunday at Carolina.
If not, Isa Abdul-Quddus, in his first year with Detroit after three seasons in New Orleans, could handle the job for another week in Ihedigbo's absence.
"I thought he did a nice job," Caldwell said of Abdul-Quddus. "One of the things about him he's been around a little bit. He's a guy that I think, without question, went into that ballgame with a sense of having been there before. He played steady and played well, played with confidence.
"It's not like he went in and set the world on fire, but I do think he functioned as a guy who knew what he was doing and knew how to get it done. It was great to see him do well."
ZERO TOLERANCE
Caldwell made it clear how he would handle a situation like the one involving Ray Rice.
"Our policy has always been the same and always will be the same in that regard," the coach said. "We do have a zero tolerance policy.
"One of the things that we want to make certain of is we do things the right way. That's key to us. How we act on and off the field; how we represent this organization; how we represent the Ford family; how we represent the National Football League.
"We don't believe there's any place for domestic violence."
EXTRA POINT
--- Caldwell, on the Calvin Johnson/Golden Tate duo: "I think they form a pretty unique combination because of the fact as time goes on, you're probably not going to see either one of them singled up a whole lot in a ballgame.
"When that does indeed happen, that's going to open up some other phases of our game at that point."
