Culpepper, Williamson up for NFL Weekly Honors

After two dismal weeks of offense, the Vikings put together a solid offensive effort. Now, two Vikings are under consideration for the NFL weekly honors.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper is among six candidates for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week, while rookie wide receiver Troy Williamson is up for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors.

Here is a look at the candidates and performances they are up against:

Culpepper joins quarterbacks Marc Bulger of the St. Louis Rams and Donvan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles are the finalists for FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week honors, while running backs Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks, Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins and LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers are the finalists for FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com from Tuesday morning through noon EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday afternoon.

For the second season in a row, the weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are a win for the local community. Along with the award, FedEx will donate $5,000 every week to the local children’s hospital in each winning market. The children’s hospitals in the two season-long winner’s markets, announced at this year’s Super Bowl, will be awarded $25,000 each.

St. Louis’ Marc Bulger completed 21 of 28 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 128.9 in the Rams’ 31-27 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Minnesota’s Daunte Culpepper registered a 140.0 passer rating, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing in the Vikings’ 33-16 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb completed 30 of 52 passes for 365 yards with touchdowns of four and five yards in the Eagles’ 23-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

For the rookie award, Williamson joins Brown, linebacker Leroy Hill of the Seattle Seahawks, linebacker DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys and running back Carnell Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the finalists for Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week.

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 throughout the month of January. The winner will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XL in Detroit.

Miami’s Ronnie Brown carried 23 times for 132 yards and one touchdown in the Dolphins’ 27-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Brown scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter and had a 58-yard run that set up a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Seattle’s Leroy Hill tied for the team lead with five tackles and recorded his first NFL sack in the Seahawks’ 37-12 victory over the NFC West-rival Arizona Cardinals. Hill helped anchor a defense that held Seattle to four field goals.

Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware recorded three tackles and one sack in the Cowboys’ 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Ware’s sack, the first of his NFL career, helped stop a 49ers drive in Dallas territory in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay’s Carnell Williams ran for 158 yards on 37 carries in the Buccaneers’ 17-16 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Williams, who had a long run of 26 yards, has rushed for an NFL record 434 yards in his first three NFL games.

Minnesota’s Troy Williamson caught three passes for 83 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings’ 33-16 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Williamson scored his first NFL touchdown on a 53-yard reception in the second quarter.

Fans can vote for both awards on NFL.com.