This is what it was supposed to look like all along for Darren Waller in a Giants uniform.
When the Giants acquired the uber-talented tight end from the Las Vegas Raiders, visions of exactly what he did in Sunday’s 14-7 win over the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium danced in the heads of every Giants fan.
Waller caught seven passes for 98 yards and his first touchdown on eight targets.
And that touchdown was anything but garden variety.
It not only was Waller’s first score in a Giants uniform and gave the Giants a 7-0 lead, it ended a seemingly endless touchdown-scoring drought that dated back four-plus games.
It was the Giants’ first offensive touchdown since the third quarter of their Week 3 loss to the 49ers on Sept. 17, a span of 222 minutes, 42 seconds of game time.
It felt like an eternity and it was a massive weight off the team’s shoulders.
“It felt good,’’ Waller said. “It brought that element of fun back into things. With the drought, it brings that little element of pressing, like, ‘OK, we’ve got to get in there, we’re in the red zone, we’ve got to execute.’
“Making a play like is what we needed. It kind of gave us some life. To be able to do that and have a spark, and then have Saquon [Barkley] getting into the end zone sprinting across the back line — [to give the Giants a 14-0 lead in the first half] — that’s what’s fun. It’s what the fans love and what we love. The game is about having fun anyway.’’
It’s been one fun week for Waller.
On Wednesday night at Barclays Center, he supported and celebrated with his wife, Kelsey Plum, as she won her second WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces, who defeated the Liberty.
“It’s cool life moments, being able to be there for her and being able to make plays for this team,’’ Waller said. “A pretty good week. When my wife gets here, it’ll get even better.’’
Kelsey Plum wasn’t at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, because the Aces are having their championship parade Monday in Las Vegas.
“He’s a phenomenal player and we expect those kinds of games from him, and to finally get it going is a good feeling,’’ fellow Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger said.
“When opportunities present themselves, I’m confident in myself to take advantage of them,’’ said Waller, who entered the game leading the team with 28 receptions for 282 yards. “You can’t always guarantee how many you’ll get and what those opportunities are going to look like. You kind of have to surrender to that and just make whatever plays are necessary for the team in this moment.
“Whenever I’m called on in a situation like that to make plays, I want that, I accept that. It’s what my job is to do.’’
Waller and Giants backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who threw him the touchdown pass, have known each other for several years.
Waller, when he was trying to get reinstated into the NFL after substance-abuse issues got him suspended in 2017, worked out with Taylor in the Atlanta area to stay sharp.
The touchdown Sunday, which came on a third-and-goal from the 15-yard line after a holding penalty pushed the Giants back, was a direct product of the chemistry he’d built with Taylor in those offseason workouts.
“I thought Tyrod made a heck of a play [and] Waller made a great adjustment on the route on that third down,’’ Giants head coach Brian Daboll said.
“That was one of those looks on that route with the relationship that I’ve had with Tyrod for years in the offseason,’’ Waller said. “We saw that look at the line, we both had that nonverbal thing that we both knew what time it was.’’
It was time to end that maddening touchdown drought.