The Chiefs were dealt a tough blow on Thursday night when reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes left the game due to injury.
With 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Mahomes attempted a quarterback sneak for a first down. The Chiefs converted but lost Mahomes in the process. In the pile of bodies, Mahomes got his leg twisted up under him and the result was a dislocated knee cap.
With the Chiefs up 10-6, in trotted former Oregon State Beavers quarterback Matt Moore.
Moore had attempted just one pass all season, but now had to lead to Chiefs to victory on the road - he did just that.
Matt Moore throws his first TD since 2017 as he finds @cheetah for the 57-yard score!
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 18, 2019
📺: #KCvsDEN on @NFLNetwork | @NFLonFOX | @PrimeVideo
How to watch: https://t.co/ybieohu092pic.twitter.com/GC0TKZigun
Moore went 10-19 on the night for 117 yards and touchdown, and in doing so helped the Chiefs snap a two-game losing streak.
Social media, especially Beavers fans, loved seeing Moore get the job done:
Matt Moore 👀👀👀#NFLBeavs https://t.co/fwjB14iFqa
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) October 18, 2019
Super fun to see Matt Moore play tonight. Got to see him play at OSU and talk to him at Recruiting Dinners! Fun guy! #GoBeavs
— MBW (@pweaverm) October 18, 2019
Matt Moore doing the Beavs proud tonight. @BeaverFootball #GoBeavs
— Ben Binek (@BenBinek) October 18, 2019
All thanks to Oregon State legend Matt Moore #GoBeavs
— JH | Jack Hays (@Frenderman) October 18, 2019
Matt Moore’s still got that 💪🏽. #GoBeavs
— Tanya (@tanyarandhawa) October 18, 2019
Moore > Mahomes #GoBeavs
— JC (@beavercubs) October 18, 2019
Fun watching former @BeaverFootball QB Matt Moore, pressed into action for @Chiefs vs. @Broncos with injury to Pat Mahomes. Moore’s 57-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill gives Kansas City 27-6 lead. Matt has been one of my favorite guys to cover through the years.#GoBeavs
— kerry eggers (@kerryeggers) October 18, 2019
After the game, it was reported that Mahomes will likely be out for three weeks, if not more. So now the Chiefs will turn to Moore again.
In the span of two months, Moore has gone from semi-retired free agent, to the back-up for the MVP, to starter for the Kansas City Chiefs. That's quite the jump for Moore who has not started an NFL game since Week 11 against the Patriots in 2017, and did not play at all in 2018.
Over his 12-year career, Moore has played in 51 games, starting 30 of them, and has passed for 7,055 yards and 46 touchdowns.
[WATCH MOORE'S POSTGAME INTERVIEW HERE]
Moore was one of the top-rated quarterbacks coming out of high school in 2002 and eventually chose to attend UCLA. He spent two seasons with the Bruins before leaving the program. He enrolled at Oregon State in 2005 and spent his final two years of college football as the Beavers starting quarterback.
In 2006 he led the Beavers to a 10-4 record and a victory over Missouri in the Sun Bowl. In his two seasons at OSU, Moore passed for 5,733 yards and 29 touchdowns.
But the Moore-Oregon State connection doesn't stop there. Prior to the 2018 season his younger brother Nick Moore, also a quarterback, transferred from Eastern Washington and joined the Beavers. Moore, a redshirt sophomore, has yet to play for Oregon State.