Voters on NFL.com have made their choice. Linebacker Colin McCarthy of the Tennessee Titans is the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for games played on Dec. 1-5, the NFL announced Friday.
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 XLVI in Indianapolis.
PEPSI ROOKIE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs
Houston had seven tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defensed in the Chiefs' 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Colin McCarthy, Tennessee Titans
McCarthy tallied nine tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one pass defensed in the Titans' 23-17 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Newton completed 12 of 21 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 14 times for 54 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 38-19 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His three rushing scores give him 13 on the year, which breaks the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns in a season by a quarterback.
Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings
Ponder completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 381 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Vikings' 35-32 loss to the Denver Broncos.
T.J. Yates, Houston Texans
Yates converted 12 of 25 pass attempts for 188 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' 17-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. It was Yates' first start.