darren-waller.jpg
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders has proven over the last year and a half that he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, but he was on another level Thursday night. In a 30-27 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Waller caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown -- despite catching passes from backup quarterback Marcus Mariota for the majority of the matchup. It marked Waller's second game of at least 150 receiving yards in the past three weeks, and also solidified his spot in NFL history. According to NFL Research, Waller now has the most receiving yards recorded by a tight end during a three-game span in the regular season in league history with 425. Something that not many know, however, is that Waller was playing on Thursday night with a heavy heart.

Waller spent his first few seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, where he was teammates with running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, who died suddenly on Wednesday. Waller revealed after the game that he didn't even feel like playing, but wanted to dedicate his performance to his former teammate. After his touchdown catch in the first half on Thursday night, Waller even threw up the numbers 3 and 4 in honor of Taliaferro's jersey number. 

"To be real, I didn't even feel like playing tonight honestly," Waller said, via the Raiders' official website. "I had no juice today. I thank God and the people that support me for speaking life into me today, and telling me to go out and play and represent him and to have him on my mind while I was playing.

"I feel like him and his presence and what his time on the earth meant to me is what's motivating me to play football with a sense of urgency."

Taliaferro was a fourth-round draft pick of the Ravens in 2014, rushing for 339 yards and five touchdowns in three seasons with the team. He played 19 games with the Ravens. A standout for Coastal Carolina, Taliaferro rushed for 1,729 yards and 27 touchdowns in his senior season for the Chanticleers, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. He was a Walter Payton Award finalist and a second-team All-American.