Running Back Samkon Gado of the Green Bay Packers is a finalists for Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors for games played on December 11-12, the NFL announced Tuesday.
Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com beginning Tuesday morning and ending on Thursday to determine the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week. The Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week will be announced Thursday afternoon on NFL.com.
After the regular season, five players will be nominated for Diet 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 XL in Detroit.
A closer look at the finalists:
-Green Bay's Samkon Gado ran for 171 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries in the Packers' 16-13 overtime victory over the NFC North-rival Detroit Lions. Gado scored on a 64-yard run in the second quarter. He recorded his third 100-yard rushing performance in the last five games.
-Baltimore's Mark Clayton caught seven passes for 105 yards and one touchdown in the Ravens' 12-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. Clayton caught a 39-yard touchdown pass, the first of his NFL career, in the fourth quarter to bring the Ravens within two points. This was Clayton's first 100-yard receiving game in the NFL.
-Tennessee's Pacman Jones recorded eight tackles and returned a punt 52-yards for a touchdown in the Titans' 13-10 victory over the Houston Texans. With the Titans down 10-3 in the third quarter, Jones fielded a punt at his own 48 yard-line and dashed 52 yards for his first NFL touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.
-Philadelphia's Ryan Moats carried 11 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' 26-23 overtime loss to the NFC East-rival New York Giants. Moats scored his first NFL touchdowns on runs of 18 and 40 yards and recorded his first 100-yard rushing game.
-Tampa Bay's Carnell "Cadillac" Williams carried 29 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 20-10 victory over the NFC South-rival Carolina Panthers. Williams scored on a 14-yard run to put Tampa Bay in front 7-0 in the first quarter. His 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter helped seal the win.
This is Pepsi's fourth year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the first year that Diet Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.
