The Saints lost their preseason opener in New England, 34-22, but they suffered an even greater loss when a cart carried Stephone Anthony into the locker room at halftime.

We won't know the severity of Anthony's injury until the Saints' medical staff gets a better look at him, but he wasn't on the sidelines to start the second half. He's going to be the centerpiece of the defense in New Orleans for the future, so you hope the injury isn't severe.

On a brighter note, rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas lived up to all the hype.

Thomas led all Saints receivers with six grabs for 67 yards, and he provided one of the magical catches everybody's been talking about. New Orleans used a second round pick on him in the draft, and it looks like the decision is paying off.

With his size and hands, Thomas could be Drew Brees' new best friend. Watch him lay out for a ball on the sidelines with a defender draped all over him.

His Twitter handle is @Cantguardmike, and he really does look unguardable...but it's still early. Let's see if he can do this in the regular season.

Defensively, Kasim Edebali pushed himself forward in the position battle at defensive end. Edebali broke into the backfield for the only two sacks of the night for New Orleans, which will definitely help him carve out a spot on the depth chart.

New addition Craig Robertson (from Cleveland) led the team with six tackles, and he provided a steadying presence at linebacker. Fellow free agent acquisitions James Laurinaitis and Nick Fairley also made their debuts, but they both only played long enough to collect two tackles before leaving injury-free.

Rookie Vonn Bell out of Ohio State is creating just as much buzz as his fellow Buckeye Thomas, but he dropped a golden opportunity to bring his practice success to the game film. He had his hands on an easy interception, but he couldn't squeeze the interception. If he drops that in the regular season, that's a killer. You can't drop freebies as a second round pick.

Speaking of balls hitting the turf, the Saints fumbled the ball four times. Four was also their total number of turnovers on the night. Not good. Not good at all...but Drew Brees only threw one pass so there's no reason to panic.

Mark Ingram was one of the culprits, but he counteracted his fumble with two touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Saints backfield only collected 78 yards on 30 rushes (2.6 yards per rush). It's just a preseason game, but it's not a ringing endorsement for the offensive line, who also gave up two sacks.

If you're looking for the most exciting part of the Saints' first preseason game, it has to be Michael Thomas. If this is just the beginning, think about what his career in New Orleans could look like.

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