Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil and Selvin Young have been nominated for the NFL's weekly awards stemming off huge performances last weekend against the Chiefs --

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK --

Linebacker GARY BRACKETT of the Indianapolis Colts, defensive end ELVIS DUMERVIL of the Denver Broncos, linebacker MORLON GREENWOOD of the Houston Texans, cornerback SHAWN SPRINGS of the Washington Redskins and cornerback MARCUS TRUFANT of the Seattle Seahawks are the finalists for GMC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK honors for games played on December 6 - 10, the NFL announced today.  

Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com beginning immediately following Monday Night Football and ending on Thursday at 4:00 pm EST to determine the GMC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK.  The winner will be announced Thursday evening on NFL.com.

After the regular season, five players will be nominated for GMC Defensive Player of the Year honors.  Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com throughout the month of January.  

A closer look at the finalists:

---Denver's ELVIS DUMERVIL made five tackles, forced one fumble and had three sacks to help the Broncos hold the Chiefs to just 129 total yards in the their 41 - 7 win over Kansas City. Dumervil's three-sack effort marked his fourth multiple-sack game of the year and increased his season sack total to 11, which ties for seventh in the NFL.

---Indianapolis' GARY BRACKETT totaled nine tackles and two interceptions in the Colts' 44 - 20 win over the Baltimore Ravens.  Brackett picked off Ravens QB Kyle Boller in the first quarter at the Indianapoli s 32 and ran the ball 49 yards to set up a Colts touchdown pass on the next play.

---Houston's MORLON GREENWOOD made 13 tackles and one sack in the Texans' 28 - 14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Greenwood sacked Buccaneers QB Luke McCown for a loss of eight yards to push McCown back to 3-and-24.

---Washington's SHAWN SPRINGS intercepted two Griese passes on consecutive Bears drives in the second quarter. The first of his two picks led to the game's first score, a 21-yard touchdown pass from QB Todd Collins to TE Todd Yoder. Springs also made four tackles in the Skins' 24 - 16 win over the Chicago Bears.

---Seattle's MARCUS TRUFANT made six tackles and three interceptions in the Seahawks' 42 - 21 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Trufant returned one pick 84-yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ELVIS DUMERVIL

NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK --

Quarterback TRENT EDWARDS of the Buffalo Bills, wide receiver - kick returner YAMON FIGURS of the Baltimore Ravens, wide receiver ANTHONY GONZALEZ of the Indianapolis Colts, tackle JOE THOMAS of the Cleveland Browns and running back SELVIN YOUNG of the Denver Broncos are the finalists for DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK honors for games played on December 6 - 10, the NFL announced today.  

Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com beginning Tuesday at 8am EST and ending on Friday at noon to determine the DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK.  The DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK will be announced Friday evening on NFL.com.

In addition, for the third year, NFL fans may cast their votes for the DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK using phones with Sprint wireless service - an opportunity available only to Sprint customers.  This fast, convenient voting method involves texting the word PEPSI to short code 7777.  Sprint customers will then receive an interactive text message that links fans to the ballot with the five finalists each week.  Data and text messaging rates may apply.

After the regular season, five players will be nominated for Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors.  Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com throughout the month of January.  The winner will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XLII in Arizona.

A closer look at the finalists:

---Denver's SELVIN YOUNG rushed for 156 yards over 17 carries (9.2 avg.) to help Denver gain 453 yards in the Broncos' 41 - 7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Young, whose 143 rushing yards in the first half against Kansas City marked the seventh-highest rushing total in a half by a Bronco in club history, increased his season rushing total to 569 yards to become just the sixth undrafted rookie in NFL history to reach 500 yards.

---Buffalo's TRENT EDWARDS threw four touchdowns in the Bills' 38 - 17 win over the Miami Dolphins. Edwards completed 11 of 23 passes for 165 yards to help the Bills gain 389 yards and control the clock for over 30 minutes.

---Baltimore's YAMON FIGURS returned a kick 94-yards for a touchdown to score the Ravens' first points of the game in their 44 - 20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Figurs returned the ball seven times totaling 196 yards.

---Indianapolis' ANTHONY GONZALEZ led the Colts with six receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts' 44 - 20 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

---Cleveland's JOE THOMAS led an offensive line that allowed 0 sacks and helped the Browns beat the Jets 24 - 18. Thomas helped the Browns offense total 337 yards as QB Derek Anderson threw two touchdowns and RB Jamal Lewis rushed for 118 yards and one touchdown.

This is Pepsi's sixth year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the third year that Diet Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR SELVIN YOUNG

NFL AIR AND GROUND PLAYERS OF THE WEEK --

Quarterbacks TOM BRADY of the New England Patriots, JAY CUTLER of the Denver Broncos and MATT HASSELBECK of the Seattle Seahawks are the finalists for FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on December 6 - 10, while running backs RYAN GRANT of the Green Bay Packers, FRED TAYLOR of the Jacksonville Jaguars and LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON of the San Diego Chargers are the finalists for FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com from 9am EST on Tuesday through 5pm EST on Thursday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week.  The winners will be announced Thursday evening on NFL.com.  

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player.  For the fourth season in a row, the weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are a win for the local community.  Along with the award, FedEx will donate $5,000 every week to the local children's hospital in each winning market.  The children's hospitals in the two season-long winner's markets, announced at this year's Super Bowl, will be awarded $25,000 each.  That means that FedEx will deliver nearly $250,000 to local children's hospitals around the country in recognition of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Award winners.  

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

---Denver's JAY CUTLER completed 20 of 27 passes (74.1%) for 244 yards and four touchdowns in the Broncos' 41 - 7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Cutler's 141.0 passer rating, which was the fourth highest by a Bronco in a game under Head Coach Mike Shanahan (1995-Pres.), and four touchdown passes were both career highs.

---New England's TOM BRADY completed 32 of 46 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns in the Patriots' 34 - 13 win over the Steelers.

---Seattle's MATT HASSELBECK scored four touchdowns passing for 272 yards and completing 22 of 33 passes in the Seahawks' 42 - 21 win over the Arizona Cardinals..

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

---Green Bay's RYAN GRANT rushed for 156 yards over 29 carries and one touchdown in the Packers' 38 - 7 win over the Oakland Raiders.

---Jacksonville's FRED TAYLOR rushed for 132 yards over 18 carries including one touchdown in the Jags' 37 - 6 win over the Carolina Panthers.

---San Diego's LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON rushed for 146 yards over 26 carries and notched one rushing touchdown (as well as one receiving) in the Chargers' 23 - 17 win over the Tennessee Titans.

FedEx, the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services, is the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl.  Through the weekly FedEx Air & Ground Awards, FedEx recognizes those NFL players who represent the same speed, precision and teamwork that their customers have come to expect from the full range of FedEx air, ground, freight and international shipping services.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JAY CUTLER