The New Orleans Saints managed to defeat the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 despite the fact that the team's NFC South rival entered the matchup with quite a bit of hype behind them. Not only that, but the Saints defeated former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and company while spoiling his debut with the franchise without much help from All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Thomas tallied just three receptions for a mere 17 yards and zero touchdowns as a result of the team's 34-23 win over the Buccaneers.

While this initially seemed odd as Thomas is typically one of the more productive players in the league on a weekly basis, there appears to be a reason for the veteran pass-catcher's minimal output on Sunday afternoon.

“Saints running back Alvin Kamara rolled up on the lower leg of Saints receiver Michal Thomas near the goal line,” writes Mike Florio of NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk. “Thomas hobbled off. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Thomas was walking fine in the locker room after the win, but he hadn’t let the trainers look at it. They were still trying to examine him.”

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In Week 2, the Saints will battle it out against the Las Vegas Raiders while the matchup will take place on “Monday Night Football,” which would give a hobbled Thomas an extra day to prepare for the next game up on the schedule.

While the Saints shouldn't need Thomas at full health to take down a middling Raiders team, the NFC South powerhouse will certainly need him down the stretch as a long-term stint on the sideline could impact this team in a major way.