Week 15 Nominees Announced: FedEx Air & Ground, Pepsi Max Rookie, & GMC Never Say Never Mome

The NFL announced today that quarterbacks DREW BREES of the New Orleans Saints, TONY ROMO of the Dallas Cowboys and MATT RYAN of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on December 13-17, while running backs ARIAN FOSTER of the Houston Texans, KNOWSHON MORENO of the Denver Broncos and ADRIAN PETERSON of the Minnesota Vikings 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.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program and its commitment to small business owners, FedEx will support education efforts at Junior Achievement by making weekly $2,000 donations in each of the winning players’ names. The funding, allocated to local Junior Achievement area offices in that team’s city or state, is used to help U.S. small business development, by educating the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own businesses.

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

• ·         New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees completed 26 of 39 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 41-0. 

• ·         Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo completed 30 of 42 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 27-24 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

• ·         Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan completed 23 of 28 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns to finish his day with a 142.6 passer rating in the Falcons’ 34-0 win against the New York Giants.  

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

• ·         Houston Texans RB Arian Foster gained 165 yards on 27 carries as the Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts 29-17. 

• ·         Denver Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno tallied 118 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown in the Broncos’ 34-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

• ·         Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson rushed for 212 yards on 24 carries and scored one touchdown, averaging 8.8 yards per rush in the Vikings’ 36-22 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx is proud to sponsor the 10^th annual Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week program. The awards highlight superior on-field performance among the league’s top-performing quarterbacks and running backs, while supporting small business efforts and providing business solutions that matter to fans and customers alike. Follow FedEx on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @FedExDelivers.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      CONTACT:
12/18/12                                                                                    DANIEL ROONEY, NFL

212-450-2396

                                                                                                daniel.rooney@nfl.com

                                                                                                ESTHER-MIREYA TEJEDA, PEPSI

914-253-3347

                                                                                                Esther-Mireya.Tejeda@pepsico.com

NFL ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR PEPSI MAX

NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Fans To Vote For Winner On NFL.com

Quarterback KIRK COUSINS of the Washington Redskins, running back-kick returner LA MICHAEL JAMES of the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback RYAN TANNEHILL of the Miami Dolphins, kicker BLAIR WALSH of the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback RUSSELL WILSON of the Seattle Seahawks are the finalists for PEPSI MAX NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK honors for games played on December 13-17, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com/rookies beginning Tuesday at 9 A.M. ET and ending on Friday at 3 P.M. ET to determine the PEPSI MAX NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK.  The PEPSI MAX NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK will be announced Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.

After the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year honors.  Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com/rookies throughout the month of January.  The Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year will be announced at the second annual “NFL Honors” awards show in New Orleans on Saturday, February 2, the night before Super Bowl XLVII.

A closer look at the finalists:

• Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins completed 26 of 37 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins’ 38-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

• San Francisco 49ers RB-KR LaMichael James accounted for 133 yards on four kick-returns with a long of 62 yards which helped setup the eventual go ahead score as the 49ers beat the New England Patriots 41-34.  

• Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill completed 22 of 28 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the Dolphins’ 24-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

• Minnesota Vikings K Blair Walsh was a perfect five for five on field goals, three of which were from 50-plus yards which helped the Vikings defeat the St. Louis Rams 36-22. 

• Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson completed 14 of 23 passes for 205 yards and one score as well as picking up 92 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in the Seahawks’ 50-17 win over the Buffalo Bills.

This is Pepsi’s eleventh year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the eleventh year that Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.