Running back Rex Burkhead produced a career game against the Los Angeles Chargers to help the Houston Texans upset the playoff contenders 41-29 Sunday afternoon in Week 16 at NRG Stadium.
Burkhead carried 22 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The former Cincinnati Bengals 2013 sixth-round pick from Nebraska is the third player since 1960 to post 140-plus yards, two-plus rushing touchdowns, and 6.5-plus yards per carry at age 31 or older.
For Burkhead’s efforts, the NFL announced Monday the Texans’ running back is one of three nominees for the FedEx NFL Ground Player of the Week.
The other Ground nominees include New England Patriots running back Damien Harris, who carried 18 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns in the 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Los Angeles Rams running back Sony Michel had 27 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown in the 30-23 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
If Burkhead gets the award, more than likely he will credit it to the offensive line and the rest of the team, just as he did his career day in his postgame interview.
“Offensive line did a tremendous job from the get go,” said Burkhead. “Really, first run of the game. Controlling the line of scrimmage, being physical. Not only at the first level but the second level as well and made my job easy back there, just running behind those, giving us clear holes and paths, and reading off their blocks. It’s a lot of fun when that’s happening. It really helped our offense get some momentum there early on.”
Fans can vote for Burkhead through Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. Central Time at NFL.com/FedEx or on Twitter via the @NFL published polls and on the NFL Mobile App.
A $2,000 donation in Burkhead’s name will be made to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which will go towards needs-based scholarships to deserving HBCU students.