Of course the hopes of New Orleans Saints fans generally rests on the shoulders of Drew Brees. He's a future Hall of Famer and probably the greatest New Orleans Saint of all time.

But it has been shown throughout his career that he can't do it alone. Three straight 7-9 seasons with Brees leading the was should be proof enough.

However this year is different. Not only has the Saint defense stepped up all year, but members of the Saints offense have been there to help Brees. The backfield has been incredible with Mark Ingram and superstar rookie Alvin Kamara, but the receivers haven't been bad either. Ted Ginn now appears ageless, and Brandon Coleman keeps showing up in big spots (however Coleman as been ruled out for today's game).

But the biggest pass-catching star for the Saints has been Michael Thomas, who's been able to help the team, and fanbase, to forget that Brandin Cooks was traded in the off season.

Thomas will need to keep it going this weekend though. He'll have to have a big game for the Saints to move on against this tough Minnesota Viking defense. Here's more on his personal matchup for the weekend, from the Louisiana Radio Network:

"One of the individual match-ups to watch when the Saints face the Vikings on Sunday is New Orleans wide receiver Michael Thomas versus Minnesota corner back Xavier Rhodes. Coach Sean Payton says they have to respect respect Rhodes talent.

Thomas had five catches for 45 yards in the week one match up against Minnesota."

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