Embattled quarterback Matt Schaub was finally cheered at Reliant Stadium by Houston Texans fans Sunday, but unfortunately for him it was for all the wrong reasons. Schaub limped off of the field in the third quarter of Sunday's eventual 38-13 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Rams (3-3) that dropped Houston to 2-4 on the season. When Schaub was taken off the field, some fans in the stadium cheered as backup T.J. Yates stepped in under center in place of the injured starter.
Schaub had set an NFL record by throwing an interception for a touchdown in four straight games heading into Sunday's contest against the Rams, leading to many Houston fans turning on him. Schaub has gone 150-for-233 (64.4%) for 1,552 yards with more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight) in what has been a trying season for the quarterback.
Schaub left the field in the third quarter after a sack by St. Louis defensive end Chris Long. Up to that point, Schaub had made good on his vow not to throw an interception after he went 15-for-21 for 186 yards without a pick through the first two quarters, but was unable to throw a touchdown and was sacked three times leading up to the injury.
Sad. Some cheers in Reliant as Schaub injured on sack by Chris Long. — Jim Thomas (@jthom1) October 13, 2013
Yates took over and irony took hold of the game as he immediately threw an interception to Rams' linebacker Alec Ogletree, which was returned for a 98-yard touchdown to make it five consecutive weeks that the Texans have thrown an interception for a touchdown return. Yates threw another interception in the fourth quarter and went 12-of-17 overall for 98 yards with no touchdowns, the two interceptions and two sacks.
Schaub's long-term status is unknown, and it has yet to be announced who will take the spot under center when the Texans head to Kansas City for a meeting with the 6-0 Chiefs next Sunday. Schaub's injury getting cheered by the crowd didn't sit well with some Houston players and wide receiver Andre Johnson was vocal about it following the game. "It just shows that they have no class," Johnson said per Yahoo Sports about the Houston fans cheering an injured player on their own team.
#Texans' Andre Johnson on fans cheering injured Matt Schaub: "It just shows that they have no class." — Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) October 13, 2013
Johnson had seven receptions for 88 yards with no touchdowns to move his season total to a league-leading 44 catches for 495 yards without a touchdown.
While Houston has won the division two straight years and had a franchise best 12-4 record last season, Schaub's struggles have led to the team losing the same amount of games it lost throughout the entire course of last season in just six games.
Things are getting ugly in Houston and the fans have turned on Schaub, and it seems like the great days of the last two seasons won't carry over to 2013.
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