Travis Kelce has gone off for the Chiefs on "Monday Night Football," scoring three touchdowns for the first time in his NFL career. The Raiders, meanwhile, saw their own star tight end fail to register a single catch. After a full week of practice despite a shoulder issue, Darren Waller exited Monday's Week 5 finale with a hamstring injury and did not return. The former Pro Bowler was initially ruled questionable after appearing on two offensive drives, but was later declared out just after Kelce's second TD in the third quarter.
Waller had appeared on the Raiders' official injury report in the lead-up to Week 4, but he returned to full participation ahead of the Chiefs matchup. This is the second time he's hurt his hamstring this year, missing most of training camp with a similar issue. It continues a concerning trend for the former 1,000-yard pass catcher, who was limited to 11 games in 2021 due to various injuries.
With backup Foster Moreau inactive due to a knee injury, the Raiders were left with only fourth-year reserve Jesper Horsted at tight end for the remainder of Monday's game against Kansas City.
It's unclear what Waller's availability will be moving forward. The veteran had slowed in recent weeks after combining for almost 150 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders' first two games, totaling just 46 yards in Las Vegas' past two matchups. When healthy, he's generally been a favorite target of quarterback Derek Carr, topping 90 catches in back-to-back seasons from 2019-2020.
