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Many anxious fans picked up on Michael Thomas limping off the field towards the end of the New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game; unfortunately, as reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Thomas indeed incurred a high-ankle injury in Sunday’s win.
#Saints star WR Michael Thomas suffered a high-ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the #Bucs, but it’s something he believes he can play through, sources tell me and @RapSheet. With an extra day before next Monday’s game vs. #Raiders, nobody ruling Thomas out.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 14, 2020
A high-ankle injury is certainly nothing to sneeze at; while Thomas might feel up to playing through the pain, it might not be worth the long-term repercussions. Should Thomas suit up next Monday against the Las Vegas Raiders, there’s a risk he only injures himself further, and the ramifications of losing Thomas are much more daunting than having him needlessly suit up for an easier matchup.
Moreover, the subsequent opponent for New Orleans has more cause for concern. Though the specifics of Thomas’ ankle injury haven’t come out yet, should it be a serious high ankle sprain, there’s a chance he won’t be able to suit up to take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 – a much heavier matchup for the Saints. This game on the horizon alone should push New Orleans to err on the safe side and potentially sit Thomas for next week.
This was undoubtedly the Saints’ worst case scenario last year, as past Thomas, the receiving corp resembled more of a practice squad than the supporting cast to Drew Brees. Thankfully, Brees is in much better company this year with Emmanuel Sanders, Jared Cook, a healthy Alvin Kamara, and a burgeoning Deonte Harris heading into Week 2’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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