The NFL announced today that quarterbacks TOM BRADY of the New England Patriots, DREW BREES of the New Orleans Saints and MATT RYAN of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on November 24-28, while running backs CEDRIC BENSON of the Cincinnati Bengals, CHRIS JOHNSON of the Tennessee Titans and BEANIE WELLS of the Arizona Cardinals are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week.
Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday through 3 p.m. EST on Friday to determine the* FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week*. The winners will be announced Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.
FedEx will support education efforts at Junior Achievement by making weekly $2,000 donations in the winning players' names. The funding, allocated to local Junior Achievement area offices in that team's city or state, is used to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own small businesses.
This season fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. FedEx introduces a new program called the FedEx Small Business of the Week. As fans visit NFL.com/FedEx to vote for their favorite Air & Ground players each week, they can also cast their vote for one of three small business nominees. FedEx will award $5,000 each week to the small business that receives the most online votes. The program then culminates in recognizing the FedEx Small Business of the Year with an all-inclusive trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:
- New England Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY completed 24 of 34 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the Patriots' 38-20 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. His 134.6 passer rating was the highest on the weekend.
- New Orleans Saints quarterback DREW BREES completed 24 of 38 passes for 363 yards and four touchdowns in the Saints' 49-24 victory over the New York Giants. His four touchdowns were tied for the most among quarterbacks on the weekend.
- Atlanta Falcons quarterback MATT RYAN completed 79.4 percent of his passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the Falcons' 24-14 defeat of the Minnesota Vikings.
A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:
- Cincinnati Bengals running back CEDRIC BENSON totaled 106 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in the Bengals' 23-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
- Tennessee Titans running back CHRIS JOHNSON ran for 190 yards on 23 carries in the Titans' 23-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Arizona Cardinals running back BEANIE WELLS carried 27 times for 228 yards and a score in the Cardinals' 23-20 victory over the St. Louis Rams. His ground yardage total broke Arizona's single game rushing record. His 8.4 yards per carry were the highest of any back on the weekend.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance among the league's top-performing quarterbacks and running backs, while providing business solutions that matter off-the-field.
