Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Jerome Harrison of the Cleveland Browns are the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for games played on Dec. 17-21.
Roethlisberger completed 29 of 46 passes for 503 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score as time expired, in the Steelers' 37-36 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Harrison rushed 34 times for 286 yards, the third-most rushing yards in a single game in NFL history, and had three touchdowns in the Browns' 41-34 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Roethlisberger and Harrison were selected from among six finalists in Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week finalists were quarterbacks Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and running backs Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jonathan Stewart of the Carolina Panthers.
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 Pittsburgh and Cleveland 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
Flacco completed 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns in the Ravens' 31-7 rout of the Chicago Bears.
Charles rushed for 154 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries in the Chiefs' 41-34 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Manning threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns in the Colts' 35-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football.
Jerome Harrison,
Cleveland Browns
Harrison rushed 34 times for 286 yards, the third-most rushing yards in a single game in NFL history, and had three touchdowns in the Browns' 41-34 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Roethlisberger completed 29 of 46 passes for 503 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score as time expired, in the Steelers' 37-36 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Stewart had two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the Panthers' 26–7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He finished with 109 rushing yards, becoming the first running back in 36 games to rush for at least 100 yards against the Vikings.
