2020 NFL injury news: New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas has been ruled out against the Chiefs

Michael Thomas will miss more time during the 2020 NFL Season

The New Orleans Saints will be going into their tough matchup at home against the Kansas City Chiefs without wide receiver Michael Thomas. He has been ruled out due to an ankle injury. This is the same injury that kept him out for six games during the 2020 NFL Season. Thomas has appeared in just seven games this year.

Michael Thomas is out on Sunday vs. Chiefs with an ankle injury pic.twitter.com/O7RJjbweW2

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 18, 2020

This is a huge loss for the Saints, especially in a game against the Chief's elite offense. Sunday's game between the Saints and Chiefs has the potential to be a shootout.

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What are the New Orleans Saints losing with Michael Thomas out?

The New Orleans Saints will be missing one of QB Drew Brees' most reliable target. Between Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, Brees has had the luxury of playing with two offensive weapons. Now, for the first time in Thomas' NFL career, he will not surpass the 1,000 yard receiving mark.

Thomas has also recorded nine receiving touchdowns in all but one season for the Saints. He'll be held below nine touchdowns again this year. He will break a three-year streak of having over 100 receptions. Coming into the 2020 NFL Season, Michael Thomas had only missed one game in four years. Hopefully, this struggle to stay healthy is not a sign of things to come for the star receiver.

The 2020 NFL Season has not been very kind to Thomas. He has only surpassed 100 yards receiving in two of the seven games he has played. Surprisingly, he has not recorded a touchdown in any of these games. The ankle injury has to be a huge factor in this decline. Thomas has only recorded 438 receiving yards for the Saints this season.

Ankle injuries are a nagging injury that can be aggravated very easily. They lower the amount of cuts a player can make on their routes and in the open field. Having an injured ankle can almost make an NFL wide receiver one-dimensional. So it's easy to see why Thomas hasn't been productive this year.

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How should the New Orleans Saints handle the injury?

New Orleans Saints are welcoming back quarterback Drew Brees in their Week 15 meeting with the Chiefs. If the Saints were smart, Michael Thomas won't take the field again until the NFL Playoffs. Thomas needs to rest his ankle as much as possible in the next three weeks.

If the Saints are being conservative with Michael Thomas and not playing him to make sure he can get that ankle healthy, it’s interesting that they’re willing to play their quarterback Drew Brees who is obviously not 100% just yet.

— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) December 18, 2020

The New Orleans Saints could potentially play a cold, wintery game in Green Bay if both teams make it to the NFC Championship game. If the New Orleans Saints want to make a run at the Super Bow,l they need Michael Thomas to be healthy.