Quarterbacks SAM BRADFORD of the St. Louis Rams, KYLE ORTON of the Denver Broncos and PHILIP RIVERS of the San Diego Chargers are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on October 3-4, while running backs AHMAD BRADSHAW of the New York Giants, PEYTON HILLIS of the Cleveland Browns and LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON of the New York Jets are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week, the NFL announced today.
Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday through noon EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday evening on NFL.com. New this year, fans will be able to keep tabs on the achievements of their favorite Air & Ground players (and others) with the NFL Milestone Tracker, presented by FedEx.
Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program, FedEx continues its support of Safe Kids USA by making weekly $2,000 donations in each of the winning players' names. The funding, allocated to local Safe Kids coalitions in that team's city, is used for pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year, from upgraded crosswalks and safety signs to traffic barriers and educational training.
A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:
- St. Louis' SAM BRADFORD completed 23 of 41 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns and one interception leading the Rams to a 20 – 3 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
- Denver's KYLE ORTON passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, completing 35 of 50 passes and throwing one interception in the Broncos' 26- 20 win over the Tennessee Titans.
- San Diego's PHILIP RIVERS led the Chargers to a 41 – 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals completing 15 of 20 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns with a 148.1 passer rating.
A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:
- New York Giants' AHMAD BRADSHAW rushed 23 times for 129 yards and one touchdown in the Giants' 17 – 3 win over the Chicago Bears.
- Cleveland's PEYTON HILLIS rushed 27 times for 102 yards and one touchdown in the Browns' 23 – 20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
- New York Jets' LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets' 38-14 win over the Buffalo Bills.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx understands the need for a winning game plan, and created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance among the league's top-performing quarterbacks and running backs. Because FedEx has thousands of delivery trucks out on the roads each day, the company is committed to funding pedestrian safety improvements in local communities, donating more than $13 million to Safe Kids Worldwide since 2000.