Inside the House of C.J. Stroud — How a LeBron James-Anointed, Teammate Lifting QB With Speedy Tastes Makes Houston’s Texans the Hottest Thing in the NFL

Even before C.J. Stroud throws his first fearless pass of the day, his teammate Brevin Jordan marvels at what Stroud’s wrought. A packed stadium in January. Playoff football back in Houston for the first time in four years. A real belief in the air. As Jordan looks around NRG Stadium — with 70,000 cellphone flashlights cutting through the temporary pregame darkness — he lets it all soak over him.

“Unbelievable,” Jordan says. “That was the craziest I’ve ever seen NRG Stadium. That was legit. I was on kickoff when they started flashing the flashlights. I looked around and looked at (Houston Texans linebacker) Jake Hansen and said, ‘Man, this is really freaking cool. This is dope. I ain’t never seen nothing like this.’ ”

Just call it The House Of C.J. Stroud. For there is this is little doubt that Stroud is now the most popular athlete in all of Houston, the first time you can say that about a non Astro in a long time. Stroud is making a whole city — and larger and larger parts of America — believe as he turns long-held NFL conventions completely upside down.

“MVP man, that’s all I can say,” Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. says, hiss voice rising when asked about Stroud, his fellow rookie. “For him to be a rookie and have the success he’s having right now and leading this team at such a young age. . . Man. All the guys wanting to play for him. And him showing in and out every game what he can do, his ability.

“He’s a special young man.”

C.J. Stroud is Houston. Groundbreaking. Bold. One of a kind. And so ready for the moment. Stroud picks apart the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL with the skill and calm of a veteran heart surgeon doing a routine bypass in the underdog Texans’ stunningly dominant 45-14 wipeout of the Cleveland Browns. Houston’s lucky No. 7 barely seems to need to wipe sweat from his brow. He becomes the youngest quarterback in NFL history (22 years and 102 days old) to ever win a playoff game in a party he starts that doesn’t seem likely to stop anytime soon.

Even LeBron James, The King, is already all in on the California kid who went to Bron’s beloved Ohio State and nearly toppled Georgia’s college football dynasty. Yes, LeBron is marveling over Stroud too. With an assist from Dallas Cowboys rebel legend Dez Bryant.

Houston is suddenly a rising epicenter of the NFL world, Oh, the schedule makers still stuck the Texans in the first Saturday game time slot of Wildcard Weekend, where this franchise is always placed. But with Stroud, you can bet that will be changing. Just like Patrick Mahomes made Kansas City football cool and LeBron himself turned Cleveland into a towering sports city (temporarily — twice), Stroud is making the Texans must-see TV. Peacock may even demand some Stroud in its next NFL negotiation.

With the Texans former wanna be savior and false prophet Deshaun Watson watching from the other sideline (injured and missing yet more time), Stroud shows he’s got next in the sports league that Americans care about first, foremost and always. Like Steph Curry, another crossover star, C.J. Stroud is even entertaining in warmups.

“First of all he’s a. hell of a football player,” Jordan says. “You guys watch. He makes the most craziest unorthodox throws. He be like jumping off his left foot, throwing across the sideline. It’s like ‘Dude.’ Just makes unbelievable throws. And aside of that, he’s hungry.

“He’s like 21, 22. How old is C.J.? You know what I’m saying. He’s a young cat that’s hungry.”

Now he’s a young cat who just passed Michael Vick, the video game QB of Stroud’s youth, as the youngest quarterback playoff game winner ever.

“It’s cool,” Stroud says of besting Vick. “It’s really cool. I put a lot of hard work in. My teammates too. It’s cool to see the first year of labor come to be true. I’m super blessed to be considered with a great name like Michael Vick, who was my favorite quarterback growing up.”

Stroud watches Fast Five — the street racing opus of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson —‚the night before this playoff game with the Cleveland Browns, everyone’s Super Bowl dark horse. Or at least has it on in the background as goes over his final bit of game plan studying. Then Stroud zooms right by the favored Browns and any preconceived notions about the limits of what he can accomplish like he has unlimited turbo boost.

C.J. Stroud is Houston. Groundbreaking. Bold. One of a kind. And so ready for the moment.

“That was the craziest I’ve ever seen NRG Stadium. That was legit. I was on kickoff when they started flashing the flashlights. I looked around and looked at (Houston Texans linebacker) Jake Hansen and said, ‘Man, this is really freaking cool. This is dope. I ain’t never seen nothing like this.’ ” — Texans tight end Brevin Jordan

The NFL’s No. 1 rated defense wants no part of C.J. Stroud. Stroud completes 11 of his first 15 passes, racks up 200 yards before the Myles Garrett and Co. even fully understand what’s hit them. Stroud is like Magic Johnson on a roll, dropping dimes everywhere. Only his come from the sky. Only his are lighting bolts of belief, jolting an entire team, an entire $5.5 billion franchise, an entire colossus of a league, an entire region of 7.34 million people.

It is a cool to be a kid in Houston rooting for C.J. Stroud and the Texans these days as it was be a kid jumping in with the Astros in 2015. They’re that hot. That skyrocketing. Which wasn’t even remotely fathomable just a year ago. BCJ. Before C.J.

“C.J. is the reason why we’re in this position,” the Texans culture-changing first year coach DeMeco Ryans says. “He’s special. Special young man. Special player. Continues to shine no matter how big the moment is. Our whole team is leaning on him.

“And he has the shoulders to carry that weight.”

C.J. Stroud, Belief Bringer

You can almost feel the belief that C.J. Stroud is bringing. You can certainly hear it in the roar of NRG Stadium, the loudest this place has been for a Texans game in forever. Stroud does most of his damage in the first half, finishing with a 274 yard, three touchdown line on 16 for 21 passing despite sitting out the majority of the fourth quarter. Even more importantly, Stroud transfers his bravado, his guts and guile to his teammates.

Dr. Frankenstein only wishes he could have created monsters this effectively. Yorgos Lanthimos too. For these Stroud-altered Texans are otherworldly.

There is journeyman cornerback Steven Nelson returning a Flacco interception 86 yards for a touchdown, triggering Eagles cornerback Darius Slay to tweet about “Nelson Island.” There is third round linebacker Christian Harris taking back another Pick 6. NRG Stadium just keeps growing louder and louder as Stroud’s strength transfers. As returns to the playoff go, this is a Mona Lisa of a game. These Texans have some 2015 Astros vibes to them, the most exciting thing in the city on the come up.

When Devin Singletary scores on a 19-yard run to push the Texans lead up to 45-14 early in the fourth quarter, he does a scissor kick before crossing into the end zone. The veteran running back suddenly finds a kid’s enthusiasm. These Texans can do that to you. C.J. Stroud can do that.

Just suddenly make you believe.

“It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” Singletary tells PaperCity. “It kind of takes you back to being a little kid. Playing little league football in front of your grandparents, your parents, screaming for you. It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

Much of the chatter coming out of this playoff win will center around the Texans making a giant statement to the rest of the NFL. Ryans, the rookie head coach, rightly tells his team “You dominated. You dominated” in the giddy postgame locker room. But in reality, this is about a team that’s playing for each other more than a world takeover.

“We come to play,” Nico Collins, the third year receiver revelation, says. “We leave it all out there for each other. We’re playing for each other. And I feel like when we’re playing like that, nobody can stop us.”

“Our whole team is leaning on him. And he has the shoulders to carry that weight.” — Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on C.J. Stroud

Everyone knows who it starts with. The young quarterback who’s seemingly always calm, until he finally lets loose in the locker room and starts bouncing around with DeMeco Ryans, his hair moving with the action.

C.J. Stroud is Houston. Groundbreaking. Bold. One of a kind. And so ready for the moment.