Despite the personal career best passing yardage day for Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco, it is impossible not to give the Samsung 'Game Ball of the Week' to rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith. Smith caught his first pass of his NFL career in his third game and it went for a 74-yard touchdown. However, he also caught two other touchdown passes, all in the first quarter of this past Sunday's 37-7 win over the shell-shocked St. Louis Rams.

Smith finished with 152 receiving yards on five receptions and those three TD catches. He is the first rookie in NFL history to record three touchdowns in the first quarter of a game. Prior to the game, there was a concern as to what rookie receiver would step up in place of the injured Lee Evans to work outside opposite veteran Anquan Boldin. Many thought that the two other rookie wide receivers, Tandon Doss or LaQuan Williams, would be the one to shine, but it was the speedy receiver from Maryland who had perhaps the finest NFL introduction for any WR in league history, and thus the honor of being awarded the Samsung 'Game Ball of the Week.'

Smith will continue to get more chances, perhaps as soon as Sunday night when the Ravens host the New York Jets on national TV. For now, Smith has also been nominated for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week Award for week 3. Click on the 'Jump' for the official announcement from the NFL and how to go to NFL.com to vote for Torrey, as well as vote for QB Joe Flacco as the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for his 389-yard passing performance and those three TD passes to Smith.

NFL ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

 

Fans To Vote For Winner On NFL.com

 

Kicker DAN BAILEY of the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver JULIO JONES of the Atlanta Falcons, quarterback CAM NEWTON of the Carolina Panthers, wide receiver TORREY SMITH of the Baltimore Ravens and offensive guard STEFAN WISNIEWSKI of the Oakland Raiders are the finalists for PEPSI NFL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK honors for games played on September 25-26, 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.

 

A closer look at the finalists:

 

• Dallas Cowboys K DAN BAILEY connected on all six of his field goal attempts, including a 40-yarder with 1:57 left in the game that clinched an 18-16 win over the Washington Redskins.

 

• Atlanta Falcons WR JULIO JONES had six catches for 115 yards in the Falcons’ 16-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

• Carolina Panthers QB CAM NEWTON completed 18 of 34 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, and rushed seven times for 27 yards in the Panthers’ 16-10 victory over the Jacksonville.

 

• Baltimore Ravens WR TORREY SMITH had five catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns in the Ravens’ 37-7 win over the St. Louis Rams. He is the first rookie in NFL history to record three touchdowns in the first quarter of a game.

 

• Oakland Raiders OG STEFAN WISNIEWSKI helped the Oakland offense line clear the way for 234 yards on the ground while allowing only one sack total to a potent pass rush in the Raiders 34-24 win over the New York Jets. His lead block on a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter helped give Oakland a commanding two-score lead.

 

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.

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NFL ANNOUNCES CANDIDATES FOR FEDEX AIR & GROUND^® NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

 

Fans to track accomplishments, vote for winners on NFL.com;

FedEx to deliver funding on winners’ behalf to benefit Junior Achievement

 

The NFL announced today that quarterbacks JOE FLACCO of the Baltimore Ravens, MATT HASSELBECK of the Tennessee Titans and ELI MANNING of the New York Giants are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on September 25 - 26, while running backs RYAN MATHEWS of the San Diego Chargers, FELIX JONES of the Dallas Cowboys and DARREN MC FADDEN of the Oakland Raiders are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week.

 

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday through 3 p.m. EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.  

 

FedEx will support education efforts at Junior Achievement by making weekly $2,000 donations in the winning players’ names. The funding, allocated to local Junior Achievement area offices in that team’s city or state, is used to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own small businesses.

This season fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. FedEx introduces a new program called the FedEx Small Business of the Week. As fans visit NFL.com/FedEx to vote for their favorite Air & Ground players each week, they can also cast their vote for one of three small business nominees. FedEx will award $5,000 each week to the small business that receives the most online votes. The program then culminates in recognizing the FedEx Small Business of the Year with an all-inclusive trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

 

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

 

• Baltimore Ravens QB JOE FLACCO completed 27 of 48 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns in the Ravens’ 37-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams

 

• Tennessee Titans QB MATT HASSELBECK converted 75 percent of his passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans’ 17-14 win over the Denver Broncos.

 

• New York Giants QB ELI MANNING completed 16 of 23 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns as the Giants beat the Philadelphia Eagles 29-16. His 145.7 quarterback rating was the highest of any quarterback on Sunday.

 

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

 

• San Diego Chargers RB RYAN MATHEWS rushed 21 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers’ 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

 

• Dallas Cowboys RB FELIX JONES had 14 carries for 115 yards, as well as three receptions for 40 more yards, in the Cowboys’ 18-16 win over the Washington Redskins.

 

 

• Oakland Raiders RB DARREN MC FADDEN ran 19 times for 171 yards and two scores in the Raiders’ 34-24 victory over the New York Jets.

 

As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance among the league’s top-performing quarterbacks and running backs, while providing business solutions that matter off-the-field. Follow FedEx on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @FedExDelivers.