Parker Up for FedEx Player of the Week Award

Quarterbacks JAY CUTLER of the Denver Broncos, AARON RODGERS of the Green Bay Packers and KURT WARNER of the Arizona Cardinals are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on September 14 – 15, while running backs DARREN MC FADDEN of the Oakland Raiders, WILLIE PARKER of the Pittsburgh Steelers and CLINTON PORTIS of the Washington Redskins 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 1 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 Wednesday mornings. 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:

· Denver’s JAY CUTLER completed 36 of 50 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns in the Broncos’ 39 – 38 win over the San Diego Chargers. Cutler led an offense that gained a total 486 yards and controlled the ball for 34 minutes.

· Green Bay’s AARON RODGERS completed 24 of 38 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ 48 – 25 win over the Detroit Lions. Rodgers led an offense that had possession of the ball for more than 35 minutes and gained a total 447 yards.

· Arizona’s KURT WARNER completed 19 of 24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 31 – 10 win over the Miami Dolphins. Warner led the Cardinals to gain 445 total yards and controlled the ball for nearly 32 minutes.

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

· Oakland’s DARREN MC FADDEN carried the ball 21 times for 164 yards including a 19-yard touchdown in the Raiders’ 23 – 8 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. McFadden helped the Raiders gain 300 rushing yards for their first win of the season.

· Pittsburgh’s WILLIE PARKER posted his second consecutive 100-yard game in a hard-fought 10-6 Steelers road win over the Cleveland Browns. Parker rushed for 105 yards on 28 carries.

· Washington’s CLINTON PORTIS rushed for 96 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 21 carries in the Redskins’ 29 – 24 win over the New Orleans Saints.