The Indianapolis Colts did a solid job planning for the New Orleans Saints offense, snuffing out several run plays and pressuring Drew Brees in the pocket. But they forgot one important tenet of playing the Saints: you can’t guard Michael Thomas.
The All-Pro, Pro Bowl-quality wide receiver asserted himself early against the Colts with several big gains on vertical routes downfield. He’s done most of his damage running against underneath coverage throughout this year, lacking the top-end speed other athletes are gifted with to separate deep downfield. But what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in clean routes and strong hands at the catch point.
In this case, Thomas only needed one hand to make a big play. The Colts defense allowed him to get behind them on a seam down the field, and Brees saw an opening to exploit. He fired the ball over, but Thomas was a little behind it — and it didn’t matter, because his outstretched hand corralled the ball in for a 24-yard gain. It was a thing of beauty, and well worth watching:
