Saints bench Michael Thomas after he reportedly fought with a teammate

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is in more trouble than it might appear

Thomas was thought to be missing the Saints Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Chargers due to an ankle injury, but it turns out he was in line to play…until earlier this week.

Per Adam Schefter, Thomas was involved in an altercation with a teammate, forcing the Saints’ hand. New Orleans deemed the practice incident serious enough to suspend Thomas for their showcase on MNF, taking a key weapon away from Drew Brees for another week.

While the details have yet to be sorted out, the altercation must have been a serious one, as to keep Thomas off the field yet again takes away a key opportunity for the Saints, which are aiming to make up a game on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.

What does Thomas’ extended absence mean for the Saints?

Perhaps more important than Thomas’ absence is what this means for the Saints chemistry. A practice fight is typically not unfixable, but the Saints felt the need to punish Thomas by benching him for an entire regular season game. The man is an All-Pro. This doesn’t normally happen.

Without Thomas, the Saints will rely on Emmanuel Sanders and will rightfully be favored to defeat the Chargers. Sure, Justin Herbert has been impressive, but we’ll believe he can win in the Superdome when we see it.

Alvin Kamara’s workload, as well as the prevailing questions about Brees’ arm-strength without Thomas, have been exhausting. Another week without those questions being answered is on Thomas.