Dallas Cowboys defend Tony Romo following defeat

The day after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw for a franchise-record 506 yards and five touchdowns but also had a critical turnover during a 51-48 loss to the Denver Broncos, his teammates came to his defense.

"In my eyes, Romo is a fighter," wide receiver Dez Bryant said on Monday. "I don't think no quarterback in this league takes as much criticism as he takes, and he still goes out there and acts like he hasn't heard anything. I know he heard it, but he don't let it get to him. He goes out there and performs the best way he possibly can, and we're going to forever back him."

The Cowboys defense was also to blame in the defeat after allowing a franchise record for points in a game. Defensive tackle Jason Hatcher admitted as much.

"The defense didn't do a good enough job to win,” Hatcher said. “We should've gotten off the field on third down and made plays when they were in. We didn't. We didn't give him a chance to win. It's on the defense."

Coach Jason Garrett also offered his support for Romo.

"We have an immense amount of confidence in Tony Romo," Garrett said. "If you watched us play over the last six, seven years, I think anybody would recognize that. We think he's an outstanding player. I think he showed that yesterday. Unfortunately it didn't end up the way we wanted it to for our football team, but you've just got to keep throwing fastballs and keep going, and Tony will certainly do that and our team will certainly do that."

This is not the first time that Romo’s teammates have come to his defense following a painful loss.