NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marvin Harrison's NFL record of 143 catches in a season was so impressive that it stood for 17 years -- and no one came within even six catches of it.
Until Sunday, when New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas broke Harrison's mark with one game to spare.
Thomas is now up to 145 catches on the year after he caught 12 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 38-28 come-from-behind victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Thomas caught his 143rd pass of the season with his 11th reception of the game.
It is the ninth time this season that "Can't Guard Mike" has caught double-digit passes in a game.
"To be honest, it doesn't really mean nothing," said Thomas, who has insisted all year that he is more concerned about getting to the Super Bowl than breaking records or earning league MVP votes. "I don't take it for granted. But the fact that we still have more goals as a team -- as far as not the individual stuff that comes along with it -- I would be selfish to be like, 'Oh, I just caught all these passes and did all this.' Ultimately I was catching the passes to win the game, to help my team be in the position we're in now.
"So I just want to keep catching passes and end up where we're gonna be. ... That's ultimately what I'm here to do, and I feel like if I continue to do that I'll get more passes and I'll break more records."
The Saints (12-3) are still stuck as the NFC's No. 3 seed despite their come-from-behind win on Sunday -- though they could potentially move up to No. 1 or No. 2 if the Green Bay Packers lose one of their final two games.
Thomas said he respects Harrison as a "tremendous player" and a "real professional, the way he went about his business."
And he actually knows Harrison's son, who is going to play for Thomas' former college team at Ohio State.
"Just to be in this position right now, it's a blessing," said Thomas, who also took time to credit each of the three quarterbacks who have thrown him passes this year (Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill) as well as each of New Orleans' offensive linemen, among others.
Brees, meanwhile, raved about Thomas' notorious level of passion and intensity -- laughing when asked if Thomas is as "laid back" about the record around his teammates as he is with the media.
"I wouldn't say 'laid back' is Mike T.," Brees said. "He's a fierce competitor, and I think there's a great sense of urgency with everything that Mike does. We see that on the practice field every day, see it in the locker room. He's also a fun-loving guy, loves his teammates ...
"He just has an engine, he's got a fire that I think is pretty rare."
The three-time Pro Bowler could become the first receiver to get NFL MVP votes since Randy Moss in 1998 -- especially because his performance didn't drop off one bit when backup Bridgewater replaced Brees for five-plus games early in the season. Thomas' record-tying 143rd catch came from third-string quarterback Hill on Sunday.
Thomas is also a candidate to become the second receiver to win the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award. (Jerry Rice won it in 1987 and 1993.)
However, Thomas has insisted throughout this historic season that, "I'm not really focused on that. I'm just trying to go to the Super Bowl."
"It's cool. I mean, it's a blessing, I guess, to be in that category," Thomas said of the MVP talk. "But the individual awards don't last as much as a championship and being able to celebrate with your team and just that whole experience.
"When you play at a high level, a lot of good things come with that."
He received plaudits from a pair of NBA stars on Twitter on Sunday night, with both LeBron James and James Harden expressing their admiration.
Congrats @Cantguardmike!!!! Single season reception record. Breaking the record on an incredible route he ran! Nasty! You literally can't guard him! Fitting for his twitter handle. 🤣🤣🤣. 🙏🏾💪🏾👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 22, 2019
S/O @Cantguardmike for breaking the all time record. Bro been puttin in crazy work and it shows!!! #NFLhistory LEGENDARY ! pic.twitter.com/4lXIdwxwiq
— James Harden (@JHarden13) December 22, 2019
Thomas, who was drafted in the second round out of Ohio State in 2016, briefly became the highest-paid receiver in NFL history this past summer when he signed a five-year extension worth between $19.25 million and $20 million per year.
Thomas has already shattered the NFL record for catches in the first four seasons of a career; he is now at 466 catches -- 66 ahead of Cleveland's Jarvis Landry in second place. In fact, Thomas needs just 16 catches to pass Landry for the most catches in the first five seasons of a career.
Thomas also passed Moss on Sunday for the most receiving yards through a player's first four seasons.
Thomas has led all NFL receivers in catch rate over the past two years, catching nearly 85% of the passes thrown his way.
The physical 6-foot-3, 212-pounder has a great catch radius because of his size. He also has reliable hands -- as he has demonstrated with just one drop in his past 25 games.