Voters on NFL.com have made their choice. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions is the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for games played on October 31-November 1, the NFL announced Friday.
Suh registered two sacks and four tackles and put an exclamation point on the victory with a 17-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 1:36 to play in the game that gave the Lions a 37-25 win over the Washington Redskins.
Suh was selected from among five finalists through fan votes on NFL.com/rookies. The other finalists were safety Eric Berry of the Kansas City Chiefs, running back LeGarrette Blount of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and cornerback Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots.
After the regular season, five players will be nominated for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com/rookies throughout the month of January. The winner will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XLV in North Texas.
This is Pepsi's ninth year as the official soft-drink sponsor of the NFL and the ninth year that Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.
A closer look at the finalists:
Berry registered 10 tackles and one interception to send the game into overtime in the Chiefs' 13-10 win over the Buffalo Bills.
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Blount sparked the Bucs' 38-35 victory at Arizona with two touchdowns and 120 yards on 22 carries, a 5.5-yard per carry average.
Bradford led the Rams to a 20-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, completing 25 of 32 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
McCourty had four tackles and one interception which led to a touchdown drive in the Patriots' 28 - 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings.