Mile High Sports

Demaryius Thomas came up big when it mattered against New Orleans

Casey Light

Statistically it wasn’t his best game of the season, but it sure felt like it. With eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Saints, Demaryius Thomas had the game Broncos fans had been waiting for all season.

His numbers don’t jump off the page – in fact he has two games already this year with more yards and as many touchdowns – but the consistent and physical play Thomas exhibited against New Orleans in a 25-23 win might be just what he needed to get back to the form that made him one of the league’s top receivers.

Thomas had five catches on six targets in the first half, including two on Denver’s opening touchdown drive, but it was a pair of plays in the second half that really showed something may have clicked.

Thomas converted a key third down late in the third quarter to extend a Denver drive that ultimately ended with a missed field goal. On third-and-eight, Thomas turned a 6-yard pass into an 18-yard gain to put Denver inside the red zone. A sack would knock them out and Brandon McManus missed the field goal, but it was a crucial play for Thomas at the time. The 12 yards after the catch were a sign of what made Thomas so great during his time with Peyton Manning as his quarterback.

Then, trailing 17-10 and with the offense struggling to find rhythm, especially in the red zone, Thomas and the Broncos offense faced third-and-goal from the New Orleans 2-yard line. With the say things had unfolded (Denver had allowed 17 unanswered points going back to the first half and missed a 42-yard field goal on their last possession), a field goal wasn’t going to suffice. Trevor Siemian had been under pressure all day (he was sacked six times), and he needed to get rid of the ball quickly.

Siemian floated a jump ball into the end zone and Thomas went up and over Delvin Breaux for the game-tying touchdown. The Broncos offensive captain threw down an emphatic spike of the ball after the score.

Thomas helped seal the game when he recovered New Orleans’ onside kick following one of the wildest finishes in the NFL this year.

Thomas has been the subject of much criticism since signing a five-year, $70-million contract last offseason. Since that time, Thomas has scored just 11 touchdowns and has just five 100-yard games. He has only one this season.

He didn’t reach the century mark on Sunday against New Orleans, but he was sure-handed on all but one pass and his 87 yards felt hard-earned. The game should be a confidence booster for a player Denver needs to be a dominant force down the stretch if they are going to have any success.

Here’s what the team at MHS and some of our favorite follows around the Denver media had to say about DT’s performance on Sunday…

https://twitter.com/RonnieKRadio/status/797877030712995840

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