Long-distance call gives Rams first loss
NEW ORLEANS — When the time came to dial up a big play for Michael Thomas, the Saints’ leading receiver answered the call. He even had a phone planted in the padding of each goal post, just in case.
Thomas had a late 72-yard touchdown reception and then celebrated with a cell phone in a throwback to another famous New Orleans play, and the streaking Saints handed the Los Angeles Rams their first loss of the season, 45-35, Sunday.
Drew Brees passed for 346 yards and four touchdowns in New Orleans’ seventh straight win, and Thomas finished with a club-record 211 yards receiving. But what happened after the last of his 12 receptions stole the show in a shootout between two of the NFL’s best offenses.
Thomas’ long TD came on a pivotal third-down play with about four minutes left. The Rams (8-1) seemed to expect the Saints (7-1) to run a play closer to the first-down marker and double-teamed running back Alvin Kamara.
Brees recalled thinking, “Kamara’s doubled, Mike’s singled, Mike’s by him, here we go.”
Thomas ran free behind cornerback Marcus Peters, caught Brees’ throw in stride and ran straight to the goal post to reprise of Joe Horn’s Sunday night TD celebration against the New York Giants in 2003.
“I paid a tribute to him, tried to get the crowd going a little bit more, set the tone, have fun out there, giving people a show,” said Thomas, who eclipsed Wes Chandler’s club record of 205 yards receiving against Atlanta in 1979. “You’ve got to have fun. All these guys just catching touchdowns and celebrating with each other, having fun, getting the crowd involved. I felt like I had an opportunity to make it happen.”
Like Horn, Thomas was penalized, but the Rams never threatened again.
“I loved the celebration myself, and I think it was the perfect time when I did it,” Thomas said. “We love our fans and we always want to bring them back great memories.”
Before that, Jared Goff, who passed for 391 yards and three TDs, had nearly led the Rams to an extraordinary comeback amid the din of the Superdome.
Los Angeles rallied to tie it at 35 with 21 consecutive points in less than 21 minutes, starting with Greg Zuerlein’s 56-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. The Rams opened the second half with an 11-play touchdown drive capped by Malcolm Brown’s 18-yard catch in which he hopped over safety Marcus Williams along the sideline and kept his balance long enough to reach the ball across the goal line. After another Los Angeles field goal, the Rams forced a second straight punt and tied it on Cooper Kupp’s 41-yard catch.
“We’re good,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “We love it. You find out about yourself when you have a little bit of adversity.”