Chiefs or Vikings? Niners still a title contender? Right time to start Drake Maye?

While the NFL’s only remaining undefeated teams take their bye week, the debate continues regarding which is the league’s best right now: the back-to-back champion Chiefs or the upstart Vikings? 

Heading into Week 6, FOX Sports’ NFL experts tackle that topic and several others, including whether the banged-up 49ers are still a Super Bowl contender, if Derrick Henry‘s success with Baltimore will change the landscape for running backs, whether Jayden Daniels has already locked up Offensive Rookie of the Year over Caleb Williams, and if this is the right time for the 1-4 Patriots to throw rookie quarterback Drake Maye into the fray. 

Let’s get started.

Buying or selling: The 49ers are still a Super Bowl contender?

There’s plenty of time for San Francisco to get healthy and put together a winning streak that catapults them back among the top teams in the NFL. The 49ers are only a game behind the NFC West-leading Seahawks, and they play at Seattle on Thursday night. Kyle Shanahan can also lean on his experience. In 2021, San Francisco started the season 2-4, got hot during the second half, snuck into the playoffs and advanced to the NFC title game. There’s time to turn things around. — Eric D. Williams

Their schedule looks absolutely daunting to finish the season, but I refuse to count them out. They have so many outstanding players. They have a perennially successful coach in Kyle Shanahan. Maybe things have gotten off to a funky start, but Brandon Aiyuk is now clicking with Brock Purdy. Trent Williams looks like he’s back in football shape. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel are back in the lineup. Running back Christian McCaffrey should be back in the coming weeks. They’ve dealt with a fair amount of adversity, but they’re just too good — and too consistent over the past few years. They’ll make the playoffs someway somehow.  — Henry McKenna

Which unbeaten team goes into its Week 6 bye in a better situation: the Chiefs or the Vikings?

I don’t think it’s particularly hot take-y to say the Minnesota Vikings. Save for a bit of a wonky performance overseas for Sam Darnold, all phases of this football team look seamless. No one has been able to figure out Brian Flores’ defense, including the most experienced and intuitive quarterback in the league in Aaron Rodgers. He threw three picks last week, including just the fifth pick-six of his two-decade-long career. Darnold has proved he can distribute the ball and exploit the favorable matchups created by all the attention on Justin Jefferson, and then, oh by the way, still get the ball to Justin Jefferson. The former Offensive Player of the Year has the third-most receiving yards and second-most receiving touchdowns in the league. Darnold himself has thrown for the second-most scores. The Vikings should also be getting tight end T.J. Hockenson back after their bye week to add another dimension to this already potent offense. 

Getting to 5-0 hasn’t looked particularly hard for the Vikings, which can’t really be said for the Chiefs. And as much as I’m not worried about the Chiefs given their Super Bowl success last year with a questionable roster, Minnesota is working together in all facets and just looks like a more complete team. — Carmen Vitali

It’s the Chiefs. As Patrick Mahomes has stated, Kansas City’s defense under the direction of DC Steve Spagnuolo does not get enough credit for keeping the team in games. Kansas City should get top runner Isiah Pacheco back from injury at some point this season, and Kareem Hunt has been effective in his absence. And the Chiefs still have the best quarterback in the league, one who executes all the little things during the critical moments at the end of games that lead to winning. — Eric D. Williams

It’s the Chiefs. Look, they have Patrick Mahomes. It’s sort of that simple. I know they’re dealing with a rash of injuries at the receiver position — but that doesn’t seem to matter much. And while Sam Darnold is starting to play like the old version of himself (and making mistakes that let opponents stage comebacks), Mahomes is starting to play like the old version of himself (and play with patience that makes him unbeatable). What the Vikings defense is doing is special, but it’s only been a few weeks. What Mahomes is doing is special. And he’s proved he can maintain that over years. So he and Andy Reid will take stock of what worked and what didn’t over the first five weeks of the season. They’ll come out of the bye more dangerous, and they’ll probably figure out how to get another bye in the first round of the playoffs. — Henry McKenna

The Ravens have outrushed their opponents by at least 100 yards in all five games this season. Will Derrick Henry’s success make teams rethink how they value running backs?

I doubt it. I think what they’ll see is that the Ravens got Derrick Henry for $9 million guaranteed and they’ll all think they can find an affordable running back, too. They’ll also see the Ravens as a unique situation — a team that has always been a good rushing team under John Harbaugh, with a good offensive line, and a mobile (and special) quarterback who can keep defenses off balance. Henry’s power was really a perfect fit there. And while he thrived during his time with lesser teams in Tennessee, too, that didn’t always translate into wins.

Henry is also unique because he’s more durable than most running backs. In general, their shelf life isn’t long, which is a big reason why they’re rarely worth a big investment. Yes, every once in a while one or two will really get paid — like Saquon Barkley, who got $26 million guaranteed from Philadelphia. But for the most part, running backs tend to be replaceable parts, and they need a good team around them to really succeed. — Ralph Vacchiano

I hope so. But Ralph makes good points. 1) There’s only one Derrick Henry. 2) There’s only one Lamar Jackson. And 3) there’s only one Ravens offense. Put it all together and you can see why Baltimore valued Henry higher than the other 31 teams. And you can also see why those 31 teams are skeptical about whether they’d be maximizing Henry like the Ravens are. 

But let’s zoom out. It’s a copycat league. And we’re seeing running backs buoy offenses. Look at Saquon Barkley in Philly. Look at Jordan Mason in San Francisco. Look at Josh Jacobs in Green Bay. Look at Alvin Kamara in New Orleans. Every one of those running backs is lifting his quarterback — rather than the other way around. At some point, we’re going to see this trend start to reverse. Because running backs matter! They matter this year more than last year and more than the year before that. The market will begin to reflect that financially.  — Henry McKenna

I agree with what’s been stated above. The NFL is cyclical in nature. Just as we saw an explosion of passing attacks just a few years ago, we’ve now seen defensive coordinators adjust with two deep safety looks to take away the deep ball, pushing the importance of running backs into the spotlight. Henry’s success in Baltimore emphasizes that point. The Titans legend-turned-Ravens star is an anomaly of course, but ground-and-pound is back “in” — whether that’s with one guy or by a committee. That should be reflected in the running back market moving forward. — Ben Arthur

Is this the right time for the Patriots to start rookie quarterback Drake Maye?

I don’t think so. And it’s not because I don’t think he should be playing. Maye is the No. 3 overall pick, after all. You need to know what you have in him in a season going nowhere. But to give him his first career start against the Texans of all teams could be a disaster. Houston ranks sixth in pressure rate. The NFL world saw what DeMeco Ryans’ defense did to Caleb Williams in his second career start — sacking him seven times and registering 11 quarterback hits. It’s not difficult to imagine a similar fate for Maye, who has a terrible offensive line that ranks dead last in pressure rate allowed. New England’s instability offensively plus Houston’s well-coached, aggressive defense could ruin Maye’s confidence before it could even be built up. — Ben Arthur

It’s a lost season for New England, so in the least, you want to start the process of letting Maye develop on the field. The Patriots have given up 19 sacks, second-most in the NFL, so there’s some injury risk there, but you have to move forward. With Jacoby Brissett, they have two touchdowns in five games, tied for fewest in the league, and just six pass plays of 20 yards or longer, also tied for the fewest. With Maye, you can shift the focus to the future and not the present, and it’s a good time to start that now. — Greg Auman

It wasn’t fair to ask Jacoby Brissett to stand in there and take the hits — and work with a crappy supporting cast. But that was what the QB signed up for. And I think the Patriots should stay with their veteran. There is a chance that Drake Maye is a generational talent who can overcome all adversity. Like Peyton Manning was. But it’s much more likely that he’s the type of prospect whose early support could dictate the speed and quality at which he develops. Like Andrew Luck (whose injuries led to an early retirement). Like Zach Wilson. Like Trevor Lawrence. And like Bryce Young. 

I’ll admit it: I’m worried for Maye. Even if he lights it up this week and/or next week, the Patriots drafted him to be their quarterback for a decade (or two). It feels foolish to trot him out behind an offensive line that has allowed the second-most sacks in the league (19). It feels foolish to ask Maye to throw to a group of pass-catchers led by tight end Hunter Henry and receiver Demario Douglas. It feels foolish to ask Maye to work under this rookie coaching staff that has made a mind-numbingly large set of playcalling and game management mistakes to start the year. So, I would have liked for the Patriots to have waited until next year. I don’t love them throwing Maye into the fire now. — Henry McKenna

Now that Caleb Williams has joined the fray, who do you believe will be the NFL’s best rookie by season’s end?

Jayden Daniels is so far ahead of the field in this race right now, he has a chance to lock it up before the midway point of the season. He’s just been incredible to watch. Everything about him has exceeded expectations. He’s incredibly accurate. His decision-making is near-perfect. He’s as dangerous as advertised as a runner. And best of all, he’s taken what should have been a mediocre-to-bad Commanders team and turned it into a serious contender at 4-1. Washington is easily the biggest surprise in the NFL so far this season.

Caleb Williams did have a nice game on Sunday, and if he strings together a bunch of those, he’s certainly talented enough to get back in the race. I’m not sure the Bears have enough talent to be a contender, but there’s definitely enough around Williams to help him out. But he’s got a long way to go to make this a two-way race. And the way Daniels is playing right now, it’s hard to see him falling back to the pack. — Ralph Vacchiano

Caleb Williams had a nice game Sunday against a bad team, but I still think Washington’s Jayden Daniels is the best of this rookie class. He’s an electric, exciting player, and he’s made the Commanders the surprise team of the first month of the season. He’s done this as both an efficient passer and a dangerous runner — he has more rushing yards than any rookie running back in this class. Perhaps Williams can sustain the high level of play he showed Sunday against the Panthers, but Daniels has already become a must-watch player. Another month like this and he’ll come up more and more as a legit MVP contender. — Greg Auman 

It’s hard not to pick Daniels here. He currently leads all rookies in passing (1,135) and rushing yards (300). The Commanders have started 4-1 by riding the dynamic playmaking ability of Daniels with his arm and his feet. And he has an experienced coaching staff leading him in head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and run game coordinator Anthony Lynn. Washington set Daniels up for success by putting him in an offense in which he feels comfortable and can play fast, and the results so far for the Commanders are electrifying. — Eric D. Williams

The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams).

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