Saints by the Numbers: Thomas’ record start continues

After setting a franchise record with 16 receptions last week against Tampa Bay, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas continued setting records in Sunday’s 21-18 victory over the Cleveland Browns at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Thomas finished with 12 receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 28 catches through the first two games of the year. That is the most for any player in NFL history through his team’s first two games of the season, surpassing the 26 catches by Atlanta’s Andre Rison in the first two games of 1994.

In terms of back-to-back games with such production, Thomas is only the 11th player in league history to catch 12 or more passes in consecutive games. The last to do it? It’s a name Saints fans would prefer to forget – Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings in November 2016.

It’s early, but in case you’re wondering, the NFL record for receptions in a season is 143 by the Indianapolis Colts’ Marvin Harrison in 2002. At his current pace, Thomas would finish with an absurd 224 catches.

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Before coming to life in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Saints were on the verge of a record-worst offensive performance in the Sean Payton/Drew Brees era. Still, they matched a low for yards gained in a victory.

New Orleans finished with 275 total yards against the Browns, only the 11th time since 2006 the Saints have been held to 275 yards or less in a game. Interestingly, six of those 11 games have come against AFC teams like Cleveland whom the Saints see but once every four years.

Sunday’s game was only the second time in those 11 games the Saints have won. Coincidentally, in the other victory in that stretch, they also gained exactly 275 yards.

It was also the first time in 11 years the Saints have been held to275 or fewer yards at home.

The full list of worst yardage games since 2006, with results:

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The Browns’ inability to make  kicks on Sunday certainly played a part in the game. After making a pair of 39-yard field goals in the first half, Cleveland kicker Zane Gonzalez missed two extra points and field goal attempts of 44 and 52 yards in the final 30 minutes, the last of which came in the final seconds with a chance to force overtime.

The recent rule change moving PAT kicks back 13 yards has taken away the automatic nature of the extra point, but it’s been a quarter-century since a Saints opponent missed at least two PAT kicks in a game. And it was under slightly different conditions than the perfect atmosphere of the Dome.

On Dec. 27, 1993, the Saints lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 37-26 in a game played in 27-degree temperatures with a 23 mph wind. Eagles kicker Roger Ruzek went 2-for-5 on extra points. Future Hall of Famer Morten Andersen handled the conditions, though, making four field goals, including a 56-yarder.

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Sunday marked the fourth-time a Payton-coached Saints team trailed by two scores entering the fourth quarter and came back to win.

New Orleans was down 12-3 after three quarters before outscoring Cleveland 18-6 in the final 15 minutes.

The other big fourth-quarter comebacks: last season at home against Washington (down by 11 entering fourth quarter and down by 15 in fourth quarter), 2014 at Tampa Bay (down by 13 after three quarters) and 2009 at Miami (down by 10 after three quarters).

The database at Pro Football Reference assisted in research.

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