Fullback CHARLES CLAY of the Miami Dolphins, defensive end THOMAS KEISER of the Carolina Panthers, quarterback JAKE LOCKER of the Tennessee Titans, linebacker VON MILLER of the Denver Broncos and wide receiver TORREY SMITH of the Baltimore Ravens are the finalists for PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK honors for games played on November 17-21, the NFL announced today.
Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com/rookies beginning Tuesday at 9 am ET and ending on Friday at noon ET to determine the PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK. The PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK will be announced Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.
After the regular season, five players will be nominated for 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 XLVI in Indianapolis.
(Read more on the nominees for the Pepsi 'Rookie of the Week,' including the Ravens' Torrey Smith's great day in the team's 31-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday.)
A closer look at the finalists:
- Miami Dolphins fullback CHARLES CLAY caught four passes for 69 yards and a score in the Dolphins’ 35-8 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
- Carolina Panthers defensive end THOMAS KEISER, signed off the practice squad two weeks ago, had five tackles—all solo—and two sacks in the Panthers’ 49-35 loss to the Detroit Lions.
- Tennessee Titans quarterback JAKE LOCKER completed 9 of 19 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns in under two quarters of play in the Titans’ 23-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Locker also added 11 yards on the ground on one carry.
- Denver Broncos linebacker VON MILLER recorded 10 tackles, including nine solo stops, three tackles for a loss and two sacks in the Broncos’ 17-13 victory over the New York Jets. He also added a forced fumble, four quarterback hits and one pass defensed.
- Baltimore Ravens wide receiver TORREY SMITH caught six passes for 165 yards and one touchdown in the Ravens’ 31-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
This is Pepsi’s tenth year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the tenth year that Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.