KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sunday was a memorable day for Jaylon Moore well before Kansas City Chiefs backup left tackle arrived at Arrowhead Stadium. In the wee hours of the day, Moore was at a local hospital to be next to his wife Sidney, who delivered their third child -- a girl they named Selah.
Moore's next task was to get some sleep, even if the hospital couldn't really accommodate his 6-foot-4, 311-pound frame.
"Oh, it was bad," said a laughing Moore after the Chiefs' 30-17 victory over the Detroit Lions. "But I found a way. My feet were stuck [out of the couch], but you've got to do it."
When Moore woke up just before 11 a.m. CT, he also learned that he would likely make his first start as a member of the Chiefs. As the day progressed, Moore rejoined his teammates while rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, the Chiefs' 2025 first-round pick, left the team hours before kickoff to fly back to his hometown of San Diego for what the team called a personal reason.
In place of Simmons, Moore performed exactly the way the Chiefs hoped he would in such a situation. As the lineman most in charge of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes' blind side, the fifth-year veteran played well, which allowed the Chiefs' offense to stay in rhythm. In 40 pass-blocking snaps, Moore surrendered just three pressures and a sack.
In fact, Moore's best snaps occurred when he was assigned to block edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions' best defender.
"I have all the faith in the world in Jaylon," Mahomes said after the game. "He came here to do what he did today, go out and be up against one of the premier pass rushers in the league and handle his own. That speaks to his professionalism, getting better and better through work throughout the week and being prepared to play at any moment. He went out there and showcased the type of player that he is."
LIGHTS AIN'T TOO BRIGHT FOR HOLLYWOOD 🍿 pic.twitter.com/31RfjqhjQE
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 13, 2025
In early March, Moore, 27, became the Chiefs' biggest acquisition in free agency when he signed a two-year contract worth $30 million (including $21.2 million guaranteed) to potentially be their starting left tackle.
Moore's role, however, changed once the Chiefs selected Simmons with the last pick in the draft's first round. While Simmons excelled in training camp, earning the starting role before the Chiefs' preseason opener, Moore became the team's overqualified sixth lineman -- and a better insurance plan than the team had at any point a year ago. Moore spent most of camp splitting reps at left guard, right guard and right tackle.
"I've had a good amount of [practice] reps," Moore said. "The biggest thing is mental reps and just making sure I'm being intentional with my work during the week."
The biggest issue on the Chiefs' roster last season was at left tackle. The team used four players -- Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries and All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney -- at the position. The results impacted Mahomes, who was sacked a career-high six times in the Chiefs' blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX despite not facing a single blitz in the game; Mahomes also had a career-worst average of 245 passing yards per game last season.
With Moore in the lineup against the Lions, Mahomes continued to thrive within the flow of the offense, finishing Sunday's game with four total touchdowns and 257 passing yards.
"I thought Jaylon stepped in and did a nice job," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. "He was just solid. He was going against an All-Pro player 50 percent of the time. That's a tough ask without playing time, but I love the way he handles himself during the week and how he practices fast.
"He never hangs his head [about] not playing. He just gets in and bears down. That paid off for him once this thing happened."
Several of the Chiefs' highlights included impressive athleticism from Moore. One of the Chiefs' most creative plays occurred in the third quarter. Receiver Hollywood Brown went in motion to the right of the formation before doing an about-face to receive a pop-pass from Mahomes. One of Brown's lead blockers was Moore, who used his quickness to block linebacker Alex Anzalone. Brown finished the misdirection play with a 9-yard touchdown.
Receiver Xavier Worthy's biggest gain of the game, a 14-yard catch, was supported by Moore countering Hutchinson's spin move with his own to finish blocking the talented edge rusher.
"I was sticking to my technique," Moore said of his first time competing against Hutchinson. "It was big having my teammates have my back. That was huge for me. The biggest thing for me is earning the trust of my teammates, just to know that whenever my number is called upon I'll be ready and there's no need to worry."
Vibes are as you'd expect 😎 pic.twitter.com/fAd4pGdDe2
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 13, 2025
During his message to the players after the game, Reid pointed to Moore, bringing him into the middle of the team's locker room celebration. Reid then congratulated Moore and shared the news of his daughter with the rest of the team.
"He did a hell of a job out there," right guard Trey Smith said of Moore. "Aidan Hutchinson is a good player. I can't imagine [having Moore's day]. I'm just happy for a healthy child and God bless him and his family. He's just a great dude and he works his butt off. He's a good man and just a good addition to the unit that we have."
Moore could be the starter again this upcoming Sunday when the Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Reid didn't give a timeline Monday for when Simmons would be back with the team.
"As far as Josh's situation goes, it's a personal issue," Reid said. "I'm not going to talk about that. I just [told Simmons] to take care of business."
Moore, in a rare occurrence, was the first of the Chiefs' offensive linemen to get dressed in the locker room after the game. He had plenty of motivation to do so. He was ready to return to the hospital to spend time with Sidney and Selah.
"It's pretty cool, but at the same time I'm just glad we got the win," Moore said, summarizing his day. "There's still some plays I want to get back. I'm just ready to get back in the film room and try to get better for next week."