The NFL announced today that running backs Arian Foster of the Houston Texans, Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears and DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week.
Fans can vote for Foster at NFL.com/FedEx from 8 a.m. CT on Tuesday through 2 p.m. CT on Friday to determine the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week. The winner will be announced Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.
Foster ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in the Texans' 41-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans. He also had 119 receiving yards and a touchdown on five catches, making him just the fourth player since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger with 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the same game. Foster also was nominated for the FedEx Ground award after rushing for 155 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4. Texans running back Ben Tate received a FedEx nomination after rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.
As part of the Air & Ground program, FedEx will support education efforts at Junior Achievement by making weekly $2,000 donations in each of the winning players' names. The funding, allocated to local Junior Achievement area offices in that team's city or state, is used to help U.S. small business development by educating the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own businesses.
A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:
• Chicago's MATT FORTE ran for 145 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries in the Bears' 24-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London.
• Houston's ARIAN FOSTER carried 25 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans' 41-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
• Dallas' DEMARCO MURRAY, a rookie, rushed for 253 yards and one score on 25 carries in the Cowboys' 34-7 win over the St. Louis Rams. His 10.1 yards-per-carry were the highest of any running back with over 10 carries on the weekend. His performance also broke the franchise's single-game rushing record.
