Panthers DL Derrick Brown, Saints WR Michael Brown separated in tunnel after Monday Night Football

The chatter between the Saints and Panthers didn’t end when Monday Night Football concluded this week. Some of the adrenaline spilled over into the tunnel, especially between New Orleans receiver Michael Thomas and Carolina defensive lineman Derrick Brown.

Following Monday’s game, cameras captured Thomas and Brown exchanging words in the tunnel. The receiver apparently said something the lineman didn’t like. As Thomas ducked into the locker room, Brown attempted to follow him.

Below is the footage from the incident following the game. It seems that the two sides were separated before anything excessive occurred.

#Saints WR Michael Thomas and #Panthers DL Derrick Brown were spotted going at it in the tunnel last night. Looks like they were separated before it got ugly.

(h/t @JonoBarnes)pic.twitter.com/PpECcJU7Mw

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2023

Fortunately, nothing got too ugly. In these types of situations, things can get out of hand pretty quickly. But, thankfully, others were able to intervene and break things up.

Thomas had a solid performance for the Saints in a 20-17 victory on Monday night. He hauled in seven receptions on nine targets, totaling 55 yards.

Brown managed to rack up seven tackles in the contest, including four solo stops. Unfortunately for Carolina, it wasn’t enough to get a win and the Panthers fell to 0-2 to start the year.

Michael Thomas trying to stay healthy

It sounds obvious that Thomas wants to stay healthy this season. Isn’t that the goal of every NFL player? But the Saints wide receiver has been marred by injuries every year dating back to 2020.

In the previous three seasons, Thomas has appeared in just 10 total games for New Orleans and missed the entire 2021 season. So 2023 is a significant year for the receiver as he attempts to get back to being one of the top players in the game.

So, perhaps attempting to pick a fight with a defensive lineman isn’t the best strategy to doing that. But, we get it. In the heat of the moment, sometimes things just happen.

Through two games this season, Thomas has totaled 12 catches for 116 yards. He does not yet have a touchdown reception for the Saints. But the good news is that New Orleans still owns a 2-0 record, despite Thomas not landing in the endzone through two games.

New Orleans defeated Tennessee 16-15 in Week 1 and scored an important win in the division over Carolina on Monday. Next, the Saints travel to Lambeau Field for a battle with Green Bay (1-1). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will air on FOX.