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Quarterbacks TOM BRADYof the New England Patriots, DREW BREESof the New Orleans Saints and AARON RODGERSof the Green Bay Packers are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on December 2-6, while running backs JAMAAL CHARLESof the Kansas City Chiefs, MAURICE JONES-DREWof the Jacksonville Jaguars and ADRIAN PETERSON of the Minnesota Vikings 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:
- New England Patriots QB TOM BRADYcompleted**21 of 29 passes (72.4 percent) for 326 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 148.9 passer rating in a 45-3 win against the New York Jets.Â
- New Orleans Saints QBDREW BREESposted a season-high 120.3 passer rating, completing 24 of 29 passes (82.8 percent) for 313 yards with two touchdowns in the Saints' 34-30 win at the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Green Bay Packers QBAARON RODGERS passed for 298 yards with three touchdowns, including two scores of over 50 yards (57, 61), and no interceptions for a season-best 135.1 passer rating in the Packers' 34-16 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:
- Kansas City Chiefs RB JAMAAL CHARLES recorded 116 rushing yards on 21 carries (5.5 average) to lead the Chiefs offense in a 10-6 win over the Denver Broncos.
- Jacksonville Jaguars RB MAURICE JONES-DREW rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 31 carries (6.0 avg.) and recorded his longest rush of the season (37 yards) in a 17-6 win at the Tennessee Titans.
- Minnesota Vikings RB ADRIAN PETERSON rushed for 107 yards and three touchdowns, including a 43-yard score, in the Vikings' 38-14 win over the Buffalo Bills.