Wide receiver ANQUAN BOLDIN of the Arizona Cardinals, wide receiver BETHEL JOHNSON of the New England Patriots, linebacker TERRELL SUGGS of the Baltimore Ravens, cornerback CHARLES TILLMAN of the Chicago Bears, and wide receiver KELLEY WASHINGTON of the Cincinnati Bengals are the finalists for PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK honors for games played on November 23-24, the NFL announced today.
Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com immediately following Monday Night Football until noon Wednesday to determine the PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK. The PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK will be announced Wednesday afternoon on NFL.com.
After the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com throughout the month of January. The winner will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston.
A closer look at the finalists:
·Arizona's Anquan Boldin caught six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the Cardinals' 30-27 overtime loss to St. Louis. Boldin leads all rookies and ranks third in the NFL with 66 receptions and 999 receiving yards.
·New England's Bethel Johnson caught five passes for 65 and a touchdown in the Patriots' 23-20 overtime win over Houston. Johnson also forced and recovered a fumble after an interception by Houston. The key play led to a New England field goal, giving the Patriots a 10-3 lead.
·Baltimore's Terrell Suggs recorded two tackles, 2.0 sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in the Ravens' 44-41 overtime win over Seattle. Suggs' second sack of the game came in second quarter on a third and long play. Suggs stripped the ball from Matt Hasselbeck and recovered the fumble, which led to a game-tying field goal for Baltimore.
·Chicago's Charles Tillman recorded six tackles and a sack in the Bears' 19-10 win over Denver. Tillman has three interceptions and a sack in the last five games.
·Cincinnati's Kelley Washington caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' 34-27 win over San Diego. Washington's touchdown reception came with 11 seconds remaining in the first half and gave the Bengals a 28-13 lead.
