Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman and Houston Texans running back Arian Foster are the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for games played on January 2, the NFL announced Wednesday.
Freeman kept Tampa Bay's completed 21 of 26 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Foster had 31 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans' 34-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Freeman and Foster were selected from among six finalists in Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week finalists were quarterbacks Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and running backs Michael Bush of the Oakland Raiders and Ryan Mathews of the San Diego Chargers.
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 $2,000 donation in each of the winning players' names to the local Safe Kids USA coalitions in Tampa Bay and Houston to support pedestrian safety improvements.
During the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV, FedEx plans to announce the 2010 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year in North Texas, as well as making a donation in each winning player's name to Safe Kids USA coalitions in the players' cities.
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 among the league's top-performing quarterbacks and running backs. Because FedEx has thousands of delivery trucks out on the roads each day, the company is committed to funding pedestrian safety improvements in local communities, donating more than $13 million to Safe Kids Worldwide since 2000. Follow FedEx on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @FedExDelivers and track the conversation at #FedExNFL.
A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:
FedEx Air -- Quarterbacks
FedEx Ground -- Running Backs
Freeman completed 21 of 26 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Bush rushed 25 times for 137 yards and one touchdown in the Raiders' 31-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Manning completed 27 of 41 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts' 23-20 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Foster had 31 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans' 34-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ryan completed 22 of 32 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons' 31-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Mathews rushed 26 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the Chargers' 33-28 win over the Denver Broncos.
