Quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and running back Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens are the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for games played on December 10-14, the NFL announced Friday.
Brees threw three touchdowns, completing 31 of 40 passes for 296 yards in the Saints' 26-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Rice had 13 carries for 166 yards and one touchdown in the Ravens' 48-3 win over the Detroit Lions.
Brees and Rice were selected from among six finalists in Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week finalists were quarterbacks Jason Campbell of the Washington Redskins and Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans, and running backs Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers and Ryan Grant of the Green Bay Packers.
Fans voted for more than their favorite players. The weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are also a win for local communities. Along with the player awards, FedEx is making a $1,000 donation in the winning players' names to the local Safe Kids coalitions in New Orleans and Baltimore to support pedestrian safety improvements. Safe Kids USA is a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children.
During the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, FedEx plans to announce the 2009 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year in South Florida, as well as making a donation in each winning player's name to Safe Kids USA.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx understands the need for a winning game plan, and created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance while delivering safe kids off the field. Because FedEx has thousands of delivery trucks out on the roads each day, the company is committed to funding pedestrian safety improvements through its 10-year partnership with Safe Kids USA.
FedEx Air - Quarterbacks
FedEx Ground -- Running Backs
Brees threw three touchdowns, completing 31 of 40 passes for 296 yards in the Saints' 26-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Rice had 13 carries for 166 yards and one touchdown in the Ravens' 48-3 rout of the Detroit Lions.
Ryan Grant,
Green Bay Packers
Grant rushed 20 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers' 21-14 victory against the Chicago Bears.
Campbell completed 16 of 28 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins' 34-13 win vs. the Oakland Raiders.
Gore carried the ball 25 times for 167 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 24-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
