METAIRIE, La. -- Michael Thomas is on pace for one of the most low-key 105-catch seasons in NFL history.

That number would be a New Orleans Saints franchise record. And the NFL announced that Thomas needs just four catches Sunday to rank second in league history with 155 catches in his first 25 NFL games (Odell Beckham Jr. had 176, Anquan Boldin had 154).

But in some ways, it still feels like Thomas is flying under the radar.

Part of that is because his game has been more steak than sizzle this season. His only two touchdown catches came in Weeks 3 and 4, and he just had his first 100-yard game last week at Buffalo.

An even bigger reason is that the Saints' defense and run game have rightfully earned the most attention for the team's turnaround during its current seven-game win streak.

But make no mistake, everyone at Saints headquarters realizes what a big part the 6-foot-3, 212-pound Thomas is playing for one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

"I have to credit his mindset. I've never seen a guy so intense in every situation, in every competitive situation," Drew Brees said. "He makes every route that he runs game-like. And if you're someone who’s trying to cover him, it's just like he flips a switch and he is trying to dominate you.

"You can't really teach that, you know. I mean, that's just there. He's got just this competitive drive that is very, very rare."

Here's the scary part when it comes to Thomas' season: It should only get better from here.

Thomas is a red zone monster who has great physical size and great range to catch balls thrown high, low or behind him. And it feels like anytime Brees decides to throw a slant pass to the aptly nicknamed "Can't Guard Mike," it's practically a guaranteed catch.

Last year, Thomas caught six TD passes over his final eight games as a rookie. And my apparently misguided fantasy prediction this summer was that he should catch 12 to 15 touchdown passes.

The problem was that opposing defenses recognized the same thing -- especially on a Saints team that doesn't have any other go-to red zone options.

But now that the Saints have been torching defenses with their run game (they ran for 298 yards and six rushing touchdowns in a 47-10 win at Buffalo last week), it won't be easy for defenses to focus so much attention on Thomas.

Case in point: While the Bills were struggling to stop New Orleans' run game, they also failed to contain Thomas, who had nine catches for 117 yards -- both season highs.

"I feel like the second half of the season, I wanted to add more. I'm always constantly trying to add more," Thomas said. "So I'm trying to build off that game and see where I can take it.

"I feel like great offenses, the successful ones ... they have to have a guy on the offense that can be in those situations [that determine wins and losses]. I just want to be that guy and I want to play that role and I want to put that weight on my shoulder to make those types of plays."

Thomas said he takes "a lot of pride in just catching the ball, whether it's a bad ball, a good ball, if it's in my vicinity or if I have a chance.

"If my hands touch it, I'm trying to come down with it," Thomas said. "So I feel like I'm gonna catch a lot of balls for the rest of my life."

Thomas' nine catches came on eight different routes, according to New Orleans FOX8 reporter Sean Fazende. And a couple of them were contested throws that would be described as "50-50 balls" if not for Thomas' natural advantages.

Saints coach Sean Payton said being able to high-point balls is "a great strength of his."

"When you watch him catch a ball, you would say he has strong hands in traffic. I think that's the best way to describe it," Payton said.

Thomas insisted that "soon, eventually, I'll have that breakthrough where I'll start scoring when I need to start scoring." But, he said, "ultimately it's not about that."

Neither Brees nor Thomas has been complaining about the fact that New Orleans hasn't needed a passing game much during its seven-game win streak because it has spent much of the time nursing leads and running out the clock.

"All the other stuff will take care of itself," Thomas said, "because I feel like we'll be playing a lot of extra games this year."