The Kansas City Chiefs are very well represented among the few finalists for the 2018 FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year awards.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith and running back Kareem Hunt both earned multiple nominations for the weekly awards known as the FedEx Air and FedEx Ground players of the week through all 17 weeks of the NFL’s regular season. It’s not a surprise, then, to see that both players are also named as finalists for the annual awards given out at year’s end.
The weekly awards honor the most productive passer and rusher of the week in football, and FedEx also makes contributions to the U.S.O., the military support organization, in each player’s name. The same is true of the yearly awards, as the U.S.O. will receive a check for $50K in each player’s name, from the winner of both the FedEx Ground Player of the Year and FedEx Air Player of the Year.
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Both Smith and Hunt are one of three finalists for each award, making them part of some elite company in 2017. The Chiefs furnished one of the best offenses in football last along with serious production from wideout Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
Smith was the NFL’s leader in passer rating with 104.7 and hit several career highs in passing yards (4,042) and touchdowns (26). He also only threw five interceptions on the entire season. Smith’s competitors for the award are Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.
Hunt was a rookie sensation who immediately impressed in his debut and never looked back. The NFL’s leading rusher this season with 1,327 rushing yards set an NFL record with 256 yards from scrimmage in his debut. His competitors for the Ground award are Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Todd Gurley of the L.A. Rams.
The FedEx awards will be handed out at the NFL Honors, a two-hour televised event celebrating the entire season on NBC on February 3, the night before the Super Bowl.