Darren Waller posts ‘video game’ numbers in win over Jets

Darren Waller caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, a very good day for an NFL tight end. But that was just in the first quarter on Sunday.

Turns out he was nowhere near done.

The Raiders’ star tight end finished with historic numbers, posting 13 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a dramatic 31-28 road victory over the Jets to keep playoff hopes alive.

It was the fourth-most yards for any Raiders receiver in franchise history and just the fourth time in NFL history a tight end had 200 yards and two touchdowns in the same game.

“He’s special,” coach Jon Gruden said of Waller. “If you look at where he caught passes, he caught them playing split end, as a flanker. He caught them in the slot. He caught them everywhere. He ran all kinds of routes.

“A lot of guys can’t dream of doing what Darren Waller can do. I think he solidified himself clearly today as one of the top Pro Bowl tight ends in this business.”

That status may have been cemented long ago, but Sunday’s phenomenal performance should still turn some heads.

His first touchdown tied the game for the Raiders late in the first quarter. On the second score, he caught a pass down the right sideline and eluded two defensive backs with nifty moves in space to give the Raiders their first lead.

“He’s a guy that can do anything on the field from run blocking to pass blocking and, of course, as you can see, route running and catching,” said rookie Henry Ruggs, who caught the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds.

Waller entered the contest second among tight ends in receptions to Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and 16th in the league overall. He should find himself solidly in the top 10 after all the week’s games are completed.

But while Waller has had plenty of catches this season, the Raiders have had some difficulty really getting him loose. He entered Sunday’s game averaging just 8.5 yards per catch.

That certainly wasn’t a problem on Sunday.

“There was a lot of man-to-man coverage out there. Anytime we see that, we like it,” Waller said of the matchup with the Jets’ defense. “I go in with the mindset of trying to win every single matchup and we got looks that we liked.”

The result looked more like something you would see playing Madden on the couch.

“I mean, 200 yards as a tight end on 13 catches is just ridiculous,” Raiders QB Derek Carr said. “That’s video game-type stuff. He’s just a special talent.

“It just kept working out that he was No. 1 in a lot of progressions and he kept winning. I tip my hat to coach for continuing to go to it and to Darren for continuing to win. That’s not easy to do.”

It started early.

Waller caught an 18-yard pass down the middle on the Raiders’ third play from scrimmage to convert a third-and-8. He added a 12-yard catch down the left sideline to pick up another first down two plays later. Carr hit him on the next play for nine yards.

When it was all over, he had his second 100-yard effort of the season and first multiple-touchdown game of the year.

“I feel like today was just a product of living one day at a time and making one play at a time,” Waller said. “Stuff like that kind of adds up.”

In addition to all the numbers Waller put up, he also made two plays that don’t count toward his stats that put the Raiders in position to potentially win the game on the drive that ultimately fell short in the final two minutes.

The 28-year-old out of Georgia Tech drew two defensive holding penalties, one on third down and another on fourth, to keep the drive alive.

Then Waller picked up 15 yards on the drive that did ultimately result in the game-winning score, securing a pass over the middle to set up the Raiders in Jets’ territory and set up the heroics by Ruggs and Carr.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.