This Week's Candidates for the FedEx Air and Ground Awards

Quarterbacks JAY CUTLER of the Denver Broncos, SHAUN HILL of the San Francisco 49ers, and MATT SCHAUB of the Houston Texans are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on Dec. 4–8, while running backs CHRIS JOHNSON of the Tennessee Titans, BRIAN WESTBROOK of the Philadelphia Eagles, and DEANGELO WILLIAMS of the Carolina Panthers are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 AM EST on Tuesday through 11 AM EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week.

The winners will be announced Friday evening on NFL.com.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program for the first time, FedEx is teaming up with Safe Kids USA—a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children—to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’ names.

The funding directly benefits local Safe Kids coalitions in that team’s city, to fund pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year. This year, FedEx celebrates its fifth year of the program and will surpass the $1 million mark in funding to create safer communities for children.

New this season, fans can tune into the “FedEx Air & Ground Lowdown” posted only on NFL.com/FedEx starting Wednesday mornings. The show examines the nominees in the Air & Ground categories through exclusive video highlights and expert analysis. NFL Network’s MARSHALL FAULK and TERRELL DAVIS host the weekly five-minute show.

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

· Denver’s JAY CUTLER completed 32 of 40 passing attempts for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the Broncos’ 24-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

· San Francisco’s SHAUN HILL led the 49ers to a 24-14 win over the New York Jets completing 28 of 39 attempts for 285 yards and two touchdowns.

· Houston’s MATT SCHAUB passed for 414 yards and two touchdowns completing 28 of 42 attempts to defeat the Green Bay Packers 24-21.

A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:

· Tennessee’s CHRIS JOHNSON rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, in the Titans’ 28 – 9 win against the Cleveland Browns.

· Philadelphia’s BRIAN WESTBROOK rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries as the Eagles defeated division rival New York Giants 20-14.

· Carolina’s DE ANGELO WILLIAMS rushed for 186 yards over 19 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 38 – 23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.