Jay Cutler Earns AFC Honor

Jay Cutler has been awarded by the NFL for his dominant performance against Cleveland. (Getty Images)

The NFL has announced that Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler will be awarded the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for games played in Week 10. Cutler threw for 447 yards and three touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.

Cutler was also tagged as the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. In other words, for five out of ten weeks thus far in the NFL season, Cutler has been Top Dog in the AFC.

You can also VOTE for Cutler, along with WR Eddie Royal, for weekly fan-voting awards through Fed Ex, Diet Pepsi, and NFL.com. Go here to vote for Cutler for Fed Ex Air Player of the Week. Go here to vote for Royal for Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week.

All three press releases after the jump.

BRONCOS QB JAY CUTLER TO BE NAMED

AFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler will be named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for games played during the 10th week (Nov. 6-10) of the 2008 season, the National Football League informed the Broncos on Tuesday.

Cutler’s selection as AFC Offensive Player of the Week is the first such award of his three-year NFL career. It marks his second league-issued honor this season—He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

During the Broncos’ 34-30 win at Cleveland on Thursday night, Cutler tied for the third-highest single-game passing yardage total (447) in Denver history and registered his fifth-career fourth-quarter comeback. He helped Denver overcome a 23-13 deficit in the fourth quarter and finished the game completing 24-of-42 passes for 447 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 107.9 passer rating.

Cutler, who accounted for 476 yards of offense (447 pass, 29 rush) against Cleveland, also helped the Broncos tie for their second-highest single-game yardage total (564) in club history.

In nine games this season, Cutler has totaled an AFC-best 2,616 passing yards that rank third in the NFL. His five 300-yard passing games this year tie Denver’s single-season franchise record and lead his conference while tying for second in the league.

Cutler is the second Bronco to be named AFC Offensive Player of the Week this year with wide receiver Brandon Marshall earning that honor for his Week 2 performance against San Diego. He is the first Denver quarterback to receive the award since 2005 (Jake Plummer, Week 8 vs. Philadelphia).

His selection marks the 43rd time a Broncos player has received AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors since the award was initiated by the NFL in 1984.

RAVENS QB JOE FLACCO, PATRIOTS RB BEN JARVUS GREEN-ELLIS, DOLPHINS T JAKE LONG, BRONCOS WR EDDIE ROYAL & FALCONS QB MATT RYAN CANDIDATES FOR DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF WEEK HONORS

Fans To Vote For Winner On NFL.com and Via Sprint Wireless Service

Quarterback JOE FLACCO of the Baltimore Ravens, running back BEN JARVUS GREEN-ELLIS of the New England Patriots, tackle JAKE LONG of the Miami Dolphins, wide receiver EDDIE ROYAL of the Denver Broncos and quarterback MATT RYAN of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for DIET PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK honors for games played on November 6 – 10, the NFL announced today.

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

In addition, for the fourth 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/rookies throughout the month of January. The winner will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay.

A closer look at the finalists:

* Baltimore’s JOE FLACCO completed 15 of 23 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens’ 41 – 13 win over the Houston Texans.

* New England’s BEN JARVUS GREEN-ELLIS rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in the Patriots’ 20 – 10 win over the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.

* Miami’s JAKE LONG was part of an offensive line that led a running game that amassed 155 yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts (5.7-yard average) and allowed only two sacks in the Dolphins’ 21 – 19 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

* Denver’s EDDIE ROYAL totaled 164 receiving yards on six receptions including a 93-yard touchdown catch in the Broncos’ 34 – 30 win over the Cleveland Browns on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football.

A FEW OTHER NOTES ON ROYAL:

* – His 164 receiving yards were the most in the NFL for the week and set a Broncos single-game rookie record. They also tied for the fifth-highest single-game total in the league this year and were the most by an NFL rookie for the year.

* – Royal’s 93-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter marked the second-longest reception by an NFL player this year (longest by an AFC player) and tied for the fourth-longest reception in club annals. It was the longest play from scrimmage by a Bronco since 1981 and marked his second consecutive game with a 90+yard play (95-yd. KR vs. Mia., 11/2/08).

* – Royal’s receiving yardage output against the Browns represented his third 100-yard receiving game this year—That total is the most by a league rookie this season and represents a Broncos single-season rookie record. It also moved him into first place in Broncos history in receiving yards (625) by a rookie.

* – Royal’s receiving score against the Browns was his fourth this year with that figure leading all NFL rookies and tying Denver’s single-season club rookie record.

* – He finished the game with 238 combined yards of offense (164 rec., 72 KR, 2 PR).

* Atlanta’s MATT RYAN completed 16 of 23 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 34 – 20 win over the New Orleans Saints.

This is Pepsi’s seventh year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the fourth year that Diet Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
11/11/08 Joanna Hunter, NFL, 212-450-2449

joanna.hunter@nfl.com

Jennifer Caccavo, FedEx, 901-434-7766

jennifer.caccavo@fedex.com

Jason Sparks, Weber Shandwick, 312-988-2323

jsparks@webershandwick.com

BRONCOS QB JAY CUTLER, COLTS QB PEYTON MANNING &
CARDINALS QB KURT WARNER; JETS RB THOMAS JONES, JAGUARS RB MAURICE JONES-DREW & VIKINGS RB ADRIAN PETERSON 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 JAY CUTLER of the Denver Broncos, PEYTON MANNING of the Indianapolis Colts and KURT WARNER of the Arizona Cardinals are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on November 6 – 10, while running backs THOMAS JONES of the New York Jets, MAURICE JONES-DREW of the Jacksonville Jaguars and ADRIAN PETERSON of the Minnesota Vikings 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 11 a.m. EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday afternoon 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 threw for 447 yards and three touchdowns completing 24 of 42 passes in the Broncos’ 34 – 30 win over the Cleveland Browns on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football.

A FEW OTHER NOTES ON CUTLER:

* – Cutler’s 447 passing yards marked the second most in a game by an NFL player this year (most by an AFC passer) and tied for the third-highest single-game total in Broncos history (T-most in a Denver road game). His three passing scores also tied for the most by an NFL player for the week.

* – His 476 total yards of offense (447 pass, 29 rush) ranked second in Denver history for a single game and marked the highest total ever by a Bronco in a road game.

* – He engineered his fifth-career game-winning or game-saving performance in the fourth quarter or overtime against the Browns, leading his club back from a 23-13 fourth-quarter deficit. He guided the Broncos to scores on their first four possessions of the second half (FG, 3 TDs) to erase the Browns’ 23-10 lead in the third quarter.

* – His 93-yard touchdown pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal in the fourth quarter marked the second-longest completion by an NFL player this year (longest by an AFC passer) and tied for the fourth-longest completion in Denver annals.

* – Cutler led Denver 80 yards on 13 plays for its game-winning touchdown drive, setting up his 11-yard touchdown pass to WR Brandon Marshall with an 18-yard run to the Cleveland 11-yard line two plays earlier.

* – The third-year pro commanded a Broncos offense that tied for the second-highest single-game yardage total (564) in club history while averaging 7.9 yards per play, a figure that represented the club’s third-highest single-game output. Denver’s 564 yards of offense against Cleveland are the most by an NFL team in a game this year.

* – His effort against the Browns marked his fifth 300-yard passing game this year with that total tying Denver’s single-season franchise record.

* Indianapolis’ PEYTON MANNING completed 21 of 40 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns in the Colts’ 24 – 20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

* Arizona’s KURT WARNER completed 32 of 42 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 29 – 24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

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

· New York Jets’ THOMAS JONES rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries in the Jets’ 47 – 3 win over the St. Louis Rams.

· Jacksonville’s MAURICE JONES-DREW posted three touchdowns on three consecutive possessions rushing 11 times for 70 yards in the Jaguars’ 38 – 14 win over the Detroit Lions.

· Minnesota’s ADRIAN PETERSON rushed for 192 yards and one touchdown on 30 attempts in the Vikings’ 28 – 27 win over the Green Bay Packers.

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, delivering safer kids in the process. With thousands of trucks out on the roads each day, FedEx is committed to improving pedestrian safety for children, by funding education programs and environmental improvements, from signage and crosswalks to pedestrian walkways near schools and playgrounds.