And the Nominees Are . . . Voting Begins for the Week 16 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week

Want to know who gets more excited than Panini America and NFL collectors about NFL Rookie performances each week during the season? Pepsi with its NFL Rookie of the Week initiative. So it comes as no surprise after months of behind-the-scenes work that Panini America and Pepsi would come together to help promote Pepsi Rookie of the Week voting and Panini America NFL Rookie trading cards.

The payoff for collectors and NFL fans everywhere are some pretty sweet virtual cards that will be highlighted on NFL.com each week in a special Pepsi Rookie of the Week gallery, across social media platforms and the NFL.com rookies voting page. Each week Panini will feature the fivePepsi Rookie of the Week Nominees in a different Panini football card design – stay tuned to the Knights Lance, our Panini America Facebook page and hobby shops to find out about new Panini designs and what weeks they will be incorporated into Pepsi Rookie of the Week Nominees during the NFL regular season.

Now for the fun stuff . . .

Vote for the NFL Pepsi Rookie of the Week each week during the NFL regular season. Then share the image of the Pepsi Rookie of the Week Nominee you voted for on your Facebook page. In addition, post the image on the Panini America Facebook page (after you “like” us if you haven’t already) or simply comment with the nominee you voted for. On Twitter, use the hashtag#PepsiROW and mention @PaniniAmerica to Tweet out the card image of the rookie you voted for. For doing those things, you’ll be eligible to win prizes throughout the season. Oh, and there just might be a special payoff at the end of the season.

Now for your Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week nominees for Week 16:

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton completed 18 of 31 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals’ 23-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also added five carries for 48 yards on the ground.

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Denarius Moore caught four passes for 94 yards and a score in the Raiders’ 16-13 victory over Kansas City Chiefs. Moore’s 53-yard reception in overtime set the Raiders up for the game-winning field goal.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers’ 48-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also carried six times for 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Minnesota Vikings safety Mistral Raymond tallied six tackles, two passes defensed and one interception returned for 31 yards in the fourth quarter in the Vikings’ 33-26 win over the Washington Redskins.

Washington Redskins running back Evan Royster carried 19 times for 132 yards in the Redskins’ 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He also caught two passes for 15 yards.