C.J. Stroud has separated himself from his Class of 2023 peers with a rookie season to remember. On Saturday, Stroud made sure that rookie season includes a trip to the playoffs.

The former Ohio State quarterback led Houston to a 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts, securing a spot in the postseason. Stroud was 20-of-26 for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interception in the game. He finished his rookie regular season with a 23:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt.

Stroud’s teammates recognize that they have a special rookie at QB1.

“He’s everything,” Texans TE Brevin Jordan told ESPN after the game. “When you got a guy under center that takes command of the whole team, he has an aura about him that’s special. There’s a reason why we’re going to the playoffs, and a lot of it is because of [Stroud].”

Will Anderson, a fellow rookie relayed that the team knows Stroud is undoubtedly the team’s biggest impact player. Anderson specifically pointed to the rookie’s leadership qualities.

“Without [Stroud], we don’t accomplish half of the things that we have,” Anderson told ESPN. “Man, [No.] 7 has been phenomenal for us. Everybody in this building appreciates having him and is blessed to have him here. We just got to give all credit to 7. His personality affects everybody in this locker room. His attitude and energy bleed through the whole locker room. It makes everybody want to step up and keep playing better.”

Stroud and the Texans will learn their postseason matchup on Sunday as the AFC playoff picture is sorted out on the field.