HOUSTON -- When Texans quarterback Matt Schaub suffered an ankle injury late in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams, a smattering of fans cheered.
It angered his teammates.
Linebacker Brian Cushing called it "barbaric." Backup quarterback T.J. Yates' face darkened immediately when asked about it. Left tackle Duane Brown called certain fans' behavior "disgusting." Receiver Andre Johnson said it was a sign of "no class."
"It's bad when members of the other team are saying that's messed up that they would do something like that," Johnson said. "It just shows no class. It wasn't all the fans. But those are the same people that you're out somewhere with your family and you tell them they can't have an autograph right now, those are the same people that tell you you're rude.
"You don't cheer about nobody being injured -- I don't care who it is. Guys lay their bodies on the line out there on that field. Some guys get injuries, and it affects them their whole lives. To cheer about something like that, it just shows they have no class."
The cheers grew louder when Yates entered the game after Schaub limped off the field.
"We appreciate you loyal fans and the fans that stick by us -- I want to put that out there first," Brown said. "But for the fans that cheered when he got hurt, that's disgusting. You can feel how you want about him as a player, but this is his livelihood. This is how he provides for his family.
"When a man goes down and he's not able to get up and you're cheering, that's bad. It's all bad. You don't know what's wrong with him at that point. That could be the last play of his career. You don't know that. And for you to cheer and applaud that, I have no words for that."
Schaub remained on the sideline surrounded by trainers, having his ankle taped, while Yates finished the Texans' drive. It ended with the fifth pick-six thrown by a Texans quarterback in five consecutive games. Yates threw his to Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree who returned it 98 yards and ultimately outran the quarterback.
Heading into this week, Schaub's starting status was in doubt during the week as coach Gary Kubiak considered benching him. Schaub has thrown nine interceptions so far this season. Last week in San Francisco he became the first player in NFL history to throw interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in four consecutive games.
But Schaub's performance wasn't the cause of the deep deficit the Texans faced at that point. He left with a 98.5 passer rating, having completed 15-of-21 passes for 186 yards. He hadn't thrown a touchdown or an interception, and the Texans trailed 31-6. The Texans turned the ball over twice, once when DeAndre Hopkins fumbled at the Rams' 14-yard line. That drive led to a Rams field goal. Later, kickoff returner Keshawn Martin fumbled a ball that Daren Bates plucked out of the air and returned for a touchdown.
Schaub did not address reporters after the game. Kubiak said Schaub had "a little bit of everything on that one leg," including his foot and ankle.