The New Orleans Saints kick off the season against the Arizona Cardinals in 24 days. As we continue our countdown to kickoff, we take a look back at Michael Thomas' 24 yard reception against the Carolina Panthers.
Thomas created yards of space against Panthers cornerback, James Bradberry, with a double move. That reception set up a game winning field goal from Will Lutz. If you look at the broadcast, Thomas caught the ball and ran out of bounds right where the red line for Lutz's range was at.
The Saints didn't get complacent. With just slightly under 40 seconds left, the Saints had time to get a few more snaps in. They took advantage of the time and got Lutz in position for an easier field goal. Instead of a 58 yarder, Lutz nailed a 33-yard field goal to win the game. The victory also set up the Saints to clinch the division the following week.
Yes, Michael Thomas had the ability to get downfield
There was a narrative in Michael Thomas' prime that he couldn't work downfield. It was a false narrative based in Drew Brees' declining arm strength at the time, and Thomas' flat out domination in the short portion of the field. He was a physical receiver who used his strength at the line of scrimmage to win quickly.
The nickname 'Slant Boy' was given to Thomas, and many fans ran with it. Saints fans knew this was nothing more than fabrication and hate. However, his dominance close to the line of scrimmage was far from made up. Bradberry had no choice but to react to Thomas running a slant. Once he saw the corner was committed, Thomas broke upfield.
In general, route running was one of the more underrated aspects of Thomas' game. He knew how to get space on short and deep routes. The result was an easy pitch and catch for Brees and Thomas. It was a dance they did 149 times that season, an NFL record. This was one of the easiest of that 149.