Darren Waller knew a bad game wasn’t possible. Not this game. Not this night. Not after what he received.



He was headed off the field and down the tunnel before Monday night’s game against Denver at the Coliseum. A fan got his attention and handed him something. It was a sobriety chip, a Raiders version, celebrating the two years clean and sober threshold he recently crossed. Waller had shared his story of overcoming addiction on the show “Hard Knocks.” Now he got to feel the impact of his transparency.



“That had me lit before the game,” Waller said, showing off his silver and black chip with a “II” on it. “Sent chills through me.”



Something big happened on Monday night, perhaps lost in the hype of the Raiders’ energetic 24-16 handling of the Broncos. Something bigger than football. Something profoundly inspirational.



Waller, who turns 27 on Friday, made his first start with the...