Michael Thomas had some ideas for a big celebration after his long-awaited first touchdown in his return to action, but he knew it wasn't the point in the game where he could afford to get a penalty.
So he kept things simple and chucked the ball into the stands after his first of two scores that jumpstarted a sluggish offense into a historic rally and a 27-26 victory in Atlanta.
The good news? The fans in Atlanta chucked the ball back onto the field, so he got to keep the memento along with the points.
"Lost for words, honestly," Thomas said after the game, his first in 603 days due to injury. "Just to be able to get in the end zone, add points for my team, contribute to a victory."
It wasn't clear in the moment, but that score was the turning point in what was a rally from 16 points down with 12 minutes remaining. His second score came with just under 4 minutes to play on a sweet route and picture-perfect backshoulder throw from Jameis Winston. The 2-point attempt was unsuccessful, but that was only a temporary delay.
It was the largest 4th quarter deficit ever successfully overcome in Saints history. The team rallied from 18 down against Atlanta a year ago without Thomas, but the game ended on a last-second kick from Younghoe Koo at the Caesars Superdome.
This time it was Wil Lutz knocking through the game-winner from 51 yards, with Koo's desperation attempt from 63 blocked by Payton Turner as time expired. In the end, all 27 of the Saints points on the night were accounted for by players coming back from major injuries in Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston, Thomas and Lutz.
"I told him I needed him and he responded well, and that's the good thing when you're surrounded by a bunch of great teammates and great players," Thomas said. "Everyone if we do our job and contribute, the sky's the limit. We can win them all."
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But Thomas would be the first to admit it wasn't always pretty. His stat line of 5 catches for 57 yards and two TDs is impressive considering what he's battled back from, but it's not up to his lofty standards and he knew he left a good bit of meat on that bone. He and Winston failed to connect on a trio of close misses through the first three quarters, including a pair that he slipped to the turf as he tried to reach back for a ball behind him.
That chemistry will come, but the vision is easy to see. Rookie Chris Olave had an impressive start to his career with 3 catches for 41 yards along with a 2-point conversion from Winston. But most impressive was Jarvis Landry, who donned the No. 5 jersey in black and gold and exploded for 114 yards on 7 catches, two of which set up a touchdown and the go-ahead field goal.
Landry, notably one of the most maniacal workers in the game, has raved about Thomas' work ethic. He even shared the detail that during camp, MT had at least once jumped into 1-on-1 drills when he wasn't supposed to, simply because he wanted to work that badly.
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"We all make plays, you know. And Mike is a special talent when we get down [in the red zone]," Landry said. "You know, a guy like that deserves to get the ball in his hands. You know what I mean? So, and he's doing the most with it. So that's what it's about."
It was the 6th time in Thomas' career he'd caught multiple touchdown passes in a game, but he's still yet to top double-digit touchdowns in any season while reaching 9 three separate times.
If Week 1 was any indication, there will be plenty more to come -- and fans should expect some more extravagant celebrations once the action shifts back to the Superdome, Thomas says. It's not a statement to take lightly, considering this is a man who once hid a flip phone at the bottom of the goalpost for a Joe Horn-style celebration after a long touchdown during the 2019 season.
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"I feel like [I'd] rather give our crowd some excitement," Thomas said. "Rather than on the road."
Mr. You Can't Guard Me and the Saints make their season debut at the Caesars Superdome in Week 2 against Tom Brady and the Bucs, the same location and matchup where he suffered the ankle injury that cost him nearly two years of his NFL career.
Get ready to celebrate.
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