LeBron James Drops Cryptic Message on C.J. Stroud Moments After Texans Defeat His Browns

C.J. Stroud had a playoff debut to remember as the Houston Texans decimated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Wild Card Round match-up. The 22-year-old quarterback scored 3 touchdowns in his playoff debut as the Texans made history and cruised to a 45-14. With this, Stroud became the youngest QB in NFL history to win a playoff game. His performance also drew the attention of Browns fan and NBA superstar LeBron James.

Stroud went 16-of-21 through the air for 274 yards and three touchdowns, which first put Houston in position to win the wild-card matchup. As a result, James couldn’t stop himself from showering praise on Stroud in his own way.

Stroud draws praise from King James as Texans make history

Not many would have expected LeBron James to appreciate a player who just beat his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns. But the obsessed NFL fan did not take much time to react to Texans rookie C.J. Stroud’s historic performance in tonight’s game. After former Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant tweeted, “CJ Stroud is Him!”, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar backed Dez’s comment and showed some love to the former Ohio State standout. He replied to Bryant’s tweet writing, “BEEN HIM!!! H-TOWN got 1 of them ones!”

This could be James pointing to the fact that the Texans have quite a talent on their hands in the form of Stroud. That is high praise for the rookie coming from one of the greatest athletes in the world. Even though Stroud beat LeBron’s hometown team, he could not help but acknowledge his talent. The win on Saturday was historic for more than one reason for the Texans.

C.J. Stroud and Co. gave the Cleveland Browns no chance to make a comeback in tonight’s game. They dominated the game in each quarter and kept the Browns scoreless in the second half. With this win, the Texans became the first team in 42 years, the first since the New York Giants in the 1981 season, to win a playoff game with 200-1 or longer preseason Super Bowl odds (200-1). They also became only the sixth team in the Super Bowl era, since 1966, to earn a victory in the postseason after winning three or fewer games the previous season.

In his playoff debut, Stroud scored three touchdowns with no interceptions. He added to his already historic rookie season with the Texans.

C.J. Stroud is a future superstar

The Houston Texans picked C.J. Stroud as their second overall pick in the 2023 draft. The quarterback immediately proved himself as a future superstar with his impact on the team. Stroud helped the Texans end their 3-year playoff drought in his rookie season. He also led the H-Town to an AFC title with his incredible performance all season. The former Ohio State QB broke several records while helping his team reach the playoffs. He became the third player in NFL history to lead the league in touchdown to interception ratio and passing yards per game in a single season. That put him in elite company with legends Tom Brady and Joe Montana.

Even in his playoff debut tonight, Stroud became the youngest quarterback in league history to win a playoff game at 22 years and 102 days old. At this pace, Stroud might go down as one of the best QBs in NFL history when it is all said and done. That will also prove LeBron James right about the H-Town getting their hands on a generational talent.