The 2-2 New Orleans Saints were hoping to have their star wide receiver, Michael Thomas, back on the field for Sunday’s must-win contest against the Detroit Lions. Instead, Saints QB Drew Brees & Co. once again needed to find creative ways to get things going with Thomas missing his third straight game due to a Week 1 ankle injury.
Fortunately, fellow wideout Tre’ Quan Smith’s contributions have increased each week with Brees showing confidence in his ability. On Sunday, Smith was significant in New Orleans 35-29 road win over Detroit.
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“Right before the game, Mike texted me and said, ‘Ball out bro,’” the receiver said. “And I sent him the ‘100’ emoji. So yeah… that’s what he told me before the game.”
So far this season, Smith has caught 77.8% of his targeted passes and on Sunday made some critical plays. The Delray Beach, Florida native caught all four of his targets for 54 yards, two touchdowns and one fumble recovery in the Saints Week 4 victory.
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As the offense has struggled with timing issues these past three weeks, Smith has been a steady target. Through his success, veteran pass-catcher Emmanuel Sanders has received favorable coverage. Against the Lions, Sanders and Brees developed a chemistry that allowed the offense to rip off 35 unanswered points after being down 14 points early in the first quarter.
“I’m definitely happy because, when they get going, it makes me want to get going. You know… participate and play plays,” Smith said. “It was kinda frustrating because we didn’t have the time like OTA’s to get the timing down with Drew. That is a big thing with Drew — his timing and anticipation. So once they got going, I knew it was going to be something special. And [it just shows you] when they are one the same page. Hey, when we are all on the same page, look what our offense can do.”
Most noticeably, the third-year pro has made his presence felt in a big way by his blocking. His success in this endeavor opened up opportunities for Saints’ running backs, Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray.
“This game is pretty much about the blocking”, the wideout said. “You got to love to catch the ball; you got to love to block. You know… just being a receiver. Every time it’s not going to be your play so that’s a big thing. C.J. [Curtis Johnson] preaches about and extra Mississippi because we have Latavius and Kamara who are able to break tackles. So we have to stay on our man long enough so they get past them. So that’s a big thing in this offense the blocking.”
During the past two games without Thomas, the Saints wide receiver corps combined to catch 19 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown. In just Sunday’s game, Smith and Sanders accounted for 10 of the 12 catches by WR’s for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
“Both those guys played outstanding,” Brees said. “It takes everybody. We knew the last two weeks we were not at the level of execution. We haven’t had the tempo and the rhythm that we know we can have.”
The Saints will look to build off of this recent offensive success as they take on the 1-2 Los Angeles Chargers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Monday Night Football next week.