Fabulous Baker's Bucs go 5-1 as MVP shouts grow

Could Baker Mayfield (left) be the MVP? The Buccaneers fans think so

With a third of the NFL season gone teams are starting to show their true colours, with some surprising names leading the pack.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts became the first teams to reach five wins as they continued their impressive starts to the campaign.

The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are emerging as contenders, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking comfortable in the AFC North.

The season looks over already for one of the big pre-season Super Bowl favourites Baltimore, but things could just be getting going for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Baker Mayfield gets MVP shouts

Is Baker Mayfield an MVP candidate? That's what Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans were chanting after another all-action display from their quarterback in a 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The 30-year-old is the main reason the Buccaneers are 5-1 and he led from the front again, throwing two touchdowns and making all the big plays - including an incredible third down run when he barged through tackler after tackler to get a crucial first down.

"He has a knack that you can't teach or coach," said head coach Todd Bowles. "It was an unbelievable play."

Mayfield's clutch plays had led to all four previous wins coming in the final minute - the more decisive manner on Sunday only enhanced his growing MVP claims.

Daniel Jones is a similar redemption story in Indianapolis after the Colts beat the Arizona Cardinals to go to 5-1 - their best start since 2009.

Running back Jonathan Taylor is the other star of the Colts' surprise start, but Jones makes big plays at the right time - recording two passing touchdowns and one rushing on Sunday.

No Maye-be about it - the Pats are back

The Pats have already matched their four wins from each of the past two seasons

Being a New England Patriots quarterback comes with a unique pressure thanks to Tom Brady, but in Drake Maye they could finally have their next face of the franchise.

In just his second season, Maye looks poised in the pocket and is not scared to air the ball out - throwing touchdowns of 25, 29 and 53 yards and having a 61-yarder ruled out by a penalty in Sunday's win at the New Orleans Saints.

He's just the fourth quarterback under 24 to record five straight games with 200-plus passing yards and a passer rating of 100 and above.

The last two being a primetime win in Buffalo then, in the deafening noise of the Superdome, show why Pats fans are getting excited that - with new head coach Mike Vrabel - they could be back in business.

The Seattle Seahawks joined the Patriots on 4-2 as they won their ninth straight away game - an impressive 20-12 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sam Darnold is showing last year's resurgence in Minnesota was no fluke and he has one of the best receivers in the game in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who made eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in Florida.

Pittsburgh's play-off path opens up

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 4-1 with a 22nd consecutive home win over the Cleveland Browns in the regular season - and they look to have an open door to the play-offs now in a weakened AFC North.

It's usually one of the toughest divisions around but Aaron Rodgers' 4-1 Steelers look in total control, with their rivals all flagging.

The Browns have just one win and a continuously messy quarterback situation, while the Baltimore Ravens look done for after a 17-3 home defeat by the Los Angeles Rams dropped them to 1-5.

Only four teams in NFL history have made the play-offs after a 1-5 start and, with Lamar Jackson leading an all-star injury list, Baltimore will not be adding to that stat.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost 18-27 in Green Bay to drop to 2-4, with 40-year-old Joe Flacco not exactly a like-for-like replacement for Joe Burrow.

Cincy's fortunes were summed up when Evan McPherson booted an NFL record 67-yard field goal, only to see it called back as the Packers had called a time out.

He missed the second attempt.

Dowdle destroys Dallas in shootout

Rico Dowdle was unstoppable for the Panthers against his former team Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys were in their customary weekly shootout - which comes with having a top offence and the worst defence, but they lost to a last-gasp field goal by the Carolina Panthers.

Former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle did the damage, with another monster game of 234 total yards and a touchdown.

After a similar outing last week he warned his former team-mates that they "better buckle up", and he backed it up with his huge day.

"They wasn't buckled up," was Dowdle's post-game response.

The Los Angeles Chargers were another team to leave it late, as they avoided a third straight loss by hitting a game-winning field goal as time expired against the Miami Dolphins to stay top of the AFC West.

Feisty Chiefs show signs of life

The Kansas City Chiefs trail both the Chargers and Denver Broncos in a division they've won nine years running - but things look to be heading in the right direction.

Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdowns and ran in another for a rejuvenated Chiefs offence in a comprehensive 30-17 home win over the Detroit Lions.

The 4-2 Lions had a depleted secondary, but the Chiefs looked balanced in attack and the defence stifled Jared Goff's top-scoring offence.

A punch-up after the final whistle showed just how big both sides felt the game was, as the Chiefs evened out their record at 3-3 but more importantly showed that they're not ready for their dynasty to end just yet.

The Las Vegas Raiders may be the also-rans of the division, but they were still good enough to beat the Tennessee Titans 20-10.

NFL week six results & highlights

• Denver Broncos 13-11 New York Jets

• Los Angeles Rams 17-3 Baltimore Ravens

• Dallas Cowboys 27-30 Carolina Panthers

• Arizona Cardinals 27-31 Indianapolis Colts

• Seattle Seahawks 20-12 Jacksonville Jaguars

• Los Angeles Chargers 29-27 Miami Dolphins

• New England Patriots 25-19 New Orleans Saints

• Cleveland Browns 9-23 Pittsburgh Steelers

• Tennessee Titans 10-20 Las Vegas Raiders

• Cincinnati Bengals 18-27 Green Bay Packers

• San Francisco 49ers 19-30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Detroit Lions 17-30 Kansas City Chiefs