Sports

The 49ers will have safety Malik Mustapha available for the first time this season on Sunday.

Mustapha was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Saturday. Mustapha was on the PUP list while recovering from a knee injury.

The 2024 fourth-round pick had 72 tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, and five passes defensed during his rookie season.

The 49ers waived defensive lineman Robert Beal to create a spot on the 53-man roster for Mustapha. They also announced that they have elevated defensive lineman Trevis Gipson from the practice squad for their game against the Buccaneers.

When the 2-2 Falcons host the 4-1 Bills on Monday night, the home team will be missing one of its starting wideouts.

Receiver Darnell Mooney has been ruled out for the Week 6 contest, with a hamstring injury.

Mooney suffered the injury two weeks ago, against the Commanders. He did not practice this week.

He also missed the Week 1 loss to the Bucs, with a shoulder injury sustained early in training camp. Mooney has seven catches for 79 yards in three 2025 appearances. Last year, his first with the Falcons, Mooney had 992 receiving yards.

Also out for the Falcons on Monday night are defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham (calf), defensive lineman LaCale London (tricep), and cornerback Clark Phillips III (triceps/illness). Cornerback Natrone Brooks (concussion/shoulder) and defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (knee/hamstring) are questionable.

The chants of "Jar-ed Goff!" could soon be replaced with another three-syllable refrain.

"M-V-P!"

Goff is off to a very rare start, in two areas: passing touchdowns and completion percentage. He's only the second quarterback in league history with 12 or more touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 75 percent or higher through five games.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning did the same thing in 2013, his second season with the Broncos. Manning eventually won the NFL MVP award that year.

Meanwhile, after a loss at Green Bay to start the season, the Lions have won four in a row. With the Bills and Eagles losing last week (and with the Eagles already losing this week), the Lions have emerged as the best team in the NFL through Week 5.

The combination of the Lions having the early inside track to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and Goff generating a passer rating of 120.7 makes him the clear favorite, in our view, for the MVP award at this stage of the campaign. Even if the oddsmakers have him at 14-1 or 15-1.

If Goff and the Lions upend the Chiefs on Sunday night, look for those odds to change, perhaps dramatically.