The New Orleans Saints put their Week 7 road game with the Chicago Bears on running back Latavius Murray’s shoulders, and he responded. With Alvin Kamara sidelined by knee and ankle injuries, Murray received the lion’s share of touches, logging 27 carries and gaining 119 yards, with two trips into the end zone (a third touchdown run was called back by penalty). His efforts were central to the Saints’ dismantling of a Bears defense that many believed could be the best in the NFL, helping New Orleans leave with a 36-25 victory.
And it’s earned Murray a spot in the voting for this week’s FedEx Air & Ground awards, where he’ll compete with Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds (126 yards on 27 attempts, three touchdown runs) and Minnesota Viking runner Dalvin Cook (142 yards on 25 carries, two touchdown scores) to earn votes from fans.
Those were the FedEx Ground nominees; players under consideration for the FedEx Air award include quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings), and Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts. Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was nominated for this award back in Week 5, but didn’t win; besides Murray, he’s the only Saints player to be nominated on the year so far.
You can vote for Murray until Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, either by visiting NFL.com/FedEx or the NFL’s official Twitter page. Fans on Twitter can participate by using the hashtag #AirandGround. FedEx will make a $2,000 donation in the winning players’ names to The USO.
