SAINTS QB DREW BREES
BRONCOS QB JAY CUTLER
EAGLES QB DONOVAN MC NABB;

BEARS RB MATT FORTÉ
STEELERS RB WILLIE PARKER
FALCONS RB MICHAEL TURNER

CANDIDATES FOR FEDEX AIR & GROUND® NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HONORS

Fans To Vote For Winners On NFL.com FedEx To Deliver Funding For Safe Kids Organizations On Behalf of Winning Players In Their Teams' Markets


Quarterbacks DREW BREES of the New Orleans Saints, JAY CUTLER of the Denver Broncos and DONOVAN MC NABB of the Philadelphia Eagles are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on September 4 - 8, while running backs MATT FORTÉ of the Chicago Bears, WILLIE PARKER of the Pittsburgh Steelers and MICHAEL TURNER of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday through 3 p.m. EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday evening on NFL.com.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program for the first time, FedEx is teaming up with Safe Kids USA - a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children - to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players' names. The funding directly benefits local Safe Kids coalitions in that team's city, to fund pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year. This year, FedEx celebrates its fifth year of the program and will surpass the $1 million mark in funding to create safer communities for children.

New this season, fans can tune into the "FedEx Air & Ground Lowdown" posted only on NFL.com/FedEx starting Tuesday evenings. The show examines the nominees in the Air & Ground categories through exclusive video highlights and expert analysis. NFL Network's MARSHALL FAULK and TERRELL DAVIS host the weekly five-minute show.

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

• New Orleans' DREW BREES completed 23 of 32 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints' 24 - 20 win over AFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• Denver's JAY CUTLER completed 16 of 24 passes for 299 yards and threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Broncos' 41 - 14 win over the Oakland Raiders. A few notes on Cutler:

* - Cutler led all NFL Week 1 passers (min. 15 att.) with a 137.3 passer rating and was not sacked.

* - His two touchdown passes tied for the most by an AFC passer in Week 1.

* - Cutler's 299 passing yards led all AFC players and ranked fourth in the league for opening weekend.

* - Cutler registered 202 of his passing yards in the first half, marking the highest half total (first or second) by any AFC passer in Week 1 (2nd in NFL).

* - His 72-yard pass to TE Tony Scheffler was the longest completion by an AFC passer for Week 1 and set up a second-quarter field goal.

* - Cutler led a Denver offense that posted the most points (41) in the NFL for Week 1 and came away with points on seven of 10 drives (5 TDs, 2 FGs).

• Philadelphia's DONOVAN MC NABB passed for 361 yards, scored three touchdowns and completed 21 of 33 passes in the Eagles' 38 - 3 win over the St. Louis Rams.

A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:

• Chicago's MATT FORTÉ rushed for 123 yards over 23 carries and scored one 50-yard touchdown in the Bears' 29 - 13 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

• Pittsburgh's WILLIE PARKER carried the ball 25 times for 138 yards and three touchdowns in the Steelers' 38-17 win over the Houston Texans.

• Atlanta's MICHAEL TURNER ran for 220 yards over 22 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Falcons 34 - 21 win over the Detroit Lions. Turner's 220 yards broke the Falcons' record for rushing yards in a single game.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JAY CUTLER!!