Former Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Michael Thomas had his best game in the National Football League while helping the New Orleans Saints to a 45-35 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Sunday, but everybody is focusing on a touchdown celebration instead of the performance.
After breaking free from Rams cornerback Marcus Peters, Thomas hauled in a pass from quarterback Drew Brees just beyond midfield, and then, jogged the final 47 yards into the end zone for the 72-yard score, his only touchdown of the game.
Following the catch and run, Thomas channeled former Saints receiver Joe Horn and retrieved a cell phone from underneath the pad surrounding the field goal post. The prop drew an immediate flag and cost the Saints 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff.
In addition to the penalty, the celebration is expected to draw a five-figure fine from the NFL.
“I watched a YouTube video of the game when he did it against the Giants, and the guy kind of helped him,” Thomas said. “No one knew I was going to do it, so guys running down with me, they didn’t help me, but I got to it and made my call.
“It was there. I think Joe Horn left it or something.”
Known as a quiet guy that goes about his business on the field, Thomas drew not only the penalty, but also, the ire of Saints coach Sean Payton for his on-field celebration.
“We were just trying to change that momentum shift, and obviously, that third-down play to Mike was significant,” Payton said. “We kind of caught them in a bracket coverage. They doubled low on Alvin (Kamara), and Mike was open.
“He played outstanding today. (I) wasn’t all fired up about the penalty. We’ll get that all figured out and handled, but he had a great game.”
Despite the penalty, the Saints withstood a final challenge from the Rams and closed out their seventh straight victory. Los Angeles came into the game against the Saints as the last remaining unbeaten team in the NFL.
Thomas turned his 12 catches into 211 yards and the 72-yard touchdown against the Rams. He eclipsed the 200-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career and set personal single-game bests with the 211 yards and 72-yard touchdown.
The 12 catches are tied for the second-most Thomas ever had in an NFL game, as he caught a franchise-record 16 passes in the opening game of the 2018 season, a 48-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Currently, Thomas has 880 yards and five touchdowns on 70 receptions through the first eight games of the 2018 regular season.
“Some of those were tight windows, and so, credit to him for getting open, getting enough separation, body control, just all of the things that he does to give me a place to throw the ball to him,” Brees said. “He makes a ton of contested throws, so he did that today.
“He came up with some big third-down catches, obviously none bigger than the one at the end of the game there. Just a big-time player who’s always ready to make the big-time plays.”
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