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J.J. Watt backs Matt Schaub after Houston Texans' loss

Matt Schaub had his moments Sunday. He was hardly great, but it'd also be unfair to put the Houston Texans' 41-28 divisional-round loss to the New England Patriots entirely on him.

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"NFL Replay" will re-air the Patriots' 41-28 divisional playoff win over the Texans on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

But Schaub is the quarterback, and criticism comes with the territory in these times of disappointment. Questions have already started whether Schaub is part of the problem in Houston. At 31, it's fair to wonder if we've already seen the best Schaub has to offer. Is that enough?

Texans coach Gary Kubiakbacked Schaub during his postgame press conference on Sunday night. Pro Bowl teammates J.J. Watt and Chris Myers were similarly supportive.

"Have they ever been in his shoes?" Watt said of Schaub's critics, according to the Houston Chronicle. "If you want to sit here and question our quarterback, that's fine. But every guy in this room believes in him. We all trust and believe that he can take us there. We're not going to listen to what the outside world says."

"If the ball had bounced our way and he would have had the same stats, nobody would have cared about (Schaub's third-quarter interception that led to a Patriots score)," Myers said. "That is the way it works. Matt is our guy. He's our team captain, and that's always going to be. Whatever happens, as players on this team, he is our leader."

The Texans allowed a total of 83 points in two losses to the Patriots over five weeks. One game altered the course of their season, the other ended it. You can blame Schaub, but he didn't play defense.

Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.

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