Thomas, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound wrecking ball with top-line speed, has finally overcome a string of injuries that limited him through the first season and a half of his career.
Since the start of December, Thomas has 29 receptions for 652 yards and four touchdowns in six games, including the playoff win. Prior to that, Thomas had 29 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns in his first 16 games. He also missed 11 of his first 27 games due to injuries.
"He hasn't had a lot of opportunities," Broncos head coach John Fox said. "Like any young player, the more opportunities they get, typically, they get better. I think he's a young, talented player that's getting better every time out."
The natural, initial comparison to Thomas was former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is now with the Dolphins. But aside from their similar body types, they're different players, according to some of the Patriots, including cornerback Nate Jones, who played with both Thomas and Marshall. The elder receiver is a little rangier, and they run their routes differently, among other things.
"That was the easy comparison when he first got there, but everybody is their own player," Jones said. "They are different in a way. The one thing they have in common is they're both big. Other than that, they each have their own kind of game."
Aside from Thomas' health, his emergence has resulted from experience. That was apparent during Sunday's game-winning touchdown reception, as he ran a post pattern over the top of safety Ryan Mundy, who cheated toward the line and bit on quarterback Tim Tebow's play-action fake.
Thomas ran his route to the correct depth over Mundy and gained inside leverage on cornerback Ike Taylor to get in perfect position for Tebow's throw. The depth of the route is an adjustment that must be made once Thomas read the safety's assignment, so his route was attributed to the experience Fox knew he needed.
"He's finding his way," Jones said. "I think that's just the learning curve of being an NFL professional. You're going to start to catch on, and the offense is going to start to work your way. Start making plays, your confidence comes and that's what he's doing. He's doing a great job for them, obviously, with a game-winning touchdown last week."
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