Back on Nov. 4, the New Orleans Saints topped the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 45-35, with wide receiver Michael Thomas hauling in 12 receptions for 211 yards, the latter of which was a Saints franchise record.
Thomas' record-breaking catch came on a 72-yard grab late in the game that resulted in a touchdown, icing the Saints win.
His performance came at the expense of Rams cornerback Marcus Peters, who then engaged in a back-and-forth between Saints head coach Sean Payton after the game that has Peters more than ready for the NFC Championship Game this Sunday.
However, Los Angeles defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is taking the blame for the late catch in the previous meeting and for Thomas' outing overall, saying that he didn't really put Peters in the best spot to succeed:
“I did a disservice to him in that first game,” Phillips said, according to Christopher Dabe of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. “He didn’t have any help with the receiver.”
It is important to note that the Rams did not have Aqib Talib for that contest, but now, Talib is back on the field, and Phillips acknowledges that Los Angeles' passing defense has been quite a bit better since his return:
“We haven’t given up a lot of big plays in the passing game,” Phillips said.
Still, for a guy like Peters who is considered one of the better cornerbacks in the game, Nov. 4 is likely still large on his mind, and he will almost surely take the matchup with Thomas personally heading into this weekend.
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