Matt Moore

AFC Wild Card 2016: Who is Matt Moore's backup?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:14 p.m. ET

Fansided, Josh Hill/Fansided

Matt Moore got rocked in the AFC Wild Card Game on Sunday, taking him out of the game and prompting his backup to come in.

The early Wild Card game on Sunday in Pittsburgh was a rough one for Dolphins fans to watch. Not only did the score get out of hand from the very start, but starting quarterback Matt Moore was forced out of the game after a vicious hit by Bud Dupree.

Moore was scrambling to make a throw on a broken play when Dupree launched himself, making full contact with Moore’s helmet. The play was flagged for roughing the passer, and it looked to have at the very least concussed the Dolphins quarterback.

Here’s a look at the hit. Hide the kids:

#Moore just got demolished by #Dupree. Yates is in at QB for the #Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/ZQKAfWEmhF

— Bovada Official (@BovadaLV) January 8, 2017

Moore’s backup, T.J. Yates, took some practice snaps on the sideline and then came into the game for one play. One play.

Somehow, someway, Moore returned after just one play. Independent neurologists who attended to him on the field told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson that Moore never lost consciousness and that his back and jaw were the main points of concern — not his brain.

That’s debatable though, as Moore proceeded to come back in and air mail an incompletion on 3rd down to force Miami into a field goal situation. The pass he threw was to the middle of nowhere and was sent off while he was under little duress.

Moore is already a backup himself, replacing Ryan Tannehill who is out for the rest of the year with a sprained ACL. If he’s forced to leave the game again at any point — which seems possible given the severity of the hit he took — it’s going to be the T.J. Yates experience. Beyond that, tight end MarQueis Gray and wide receiver Jarvis Landry are listed as the emergency backups at quarterback.