At 4-1, the 49ers and Bears have emerged as legitimate playoff contenders. The two up-and-coming teams clash Sunday when San Francisco travels to Chicago.

	Anthony Thomas has 312 yards rushing on 47 carries and two touchdowns so far this season.

Two rookie running backs figure to play an important role in the rushing attack of each team. For the Bears, Anthony Thomas appears to be emerging as a legitimate No. 1 back. Thomas, a second-round pick out of Michigan, rolled over the Bengals on Sunday for a Bears rookie-record 188 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown.

While coach Dick Jauron initially balked at naming Thomas the outright starter, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reported Wednesday that Thomas is slated to take over the starting job from James Allen against the San Francisco 49ers.

In San Francisco, the 49ers have their own two-pronged attack at running back. Behind the re-emergence of Garrison Hearst and the fresh legs of rookie Kevan Barlow, the 49ers have the NFL's No. 2 rushing attack (158.2 yards per game).

Barlow has yet to start a game. However, the third-round pick from Pittsburgh has been getting plenty of carries. Through five games, Barlow has carried the ball 46 times for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

While Hearst is still the No. 1 guy, his career has been plagued by injuries. Barlow gives the 49ers depth and a running back they can build towards the future with.

Each Tuesday from now until the end of the regular season, ESPN.com will hand out its report card on how the new kids are doing. Here's an update on some of the league's most intriguing efforts by rookies in Week 6:

PLAYER, STATS	THE SKINNY
Nate Clements, CB, Bills at Jaguars 3 tackles	Clements got his first start of season Thursday night in what turned out to be the Bills' first win of the season. The Bills' first-round pick, Clements was matched up against Jimmy Smith most of the game, limiting the All-Pro receiver to six catches for only 49 yards. "Jimmy Smith is one of the best receivers in the league," Clements told the Buffalo News. "But our coaches did a great job preparing us for this game. They looked at a lot of film, studied (the Jaguars') tendencies and put us in position to stop some routes."
Rod Gardner, WR, Redskins vs. Panthers 6 rec., 208 yds. 1 TD	The Redskins got their first win of the season Sunday and Gardner was a big reason why. After struggling early in the season with dropped balls in games and practices, Gardner broke out Sunday. Teammates Bruce Smith and Michael Westbrook had taken to calling Gardner "50/50", according to The Washington Post, because he only caught the ball half the time it was thrown to him. "I knew sooner or later I had to have my breakout game," Gardner told the paper. "I knew sooner or later I had to have it, and today was the day."
James Jackson, RB, Browns vs. Ravens 24 att., 77 yds. 1 TD	Jackson had a big game Sunday against the Ravens. Against the NFL's top-ranked defense against the run, Jackson ran for 77 yards on 24 carries, with one touchdown. Jackson's 77 yards was the highest total given up by the Ravens this year and could have topped 100 yards if some runs hadn't been called back by penalties. "I'm very proud of him," coach Butch Davis told the Akron Beacon Journal. "He made runs. He ran tough. He ran physical. He ran when he didn't have any place to run and he tried to make places to run." Baltimore hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 43 games.
Shaun Rogers, DT, Lions vs. Titans 11 tackles	Rogers, who dropped to the second round of the draft after suffering a serious ankle injury during his final season at Texas, led the Lions with 11 tackles against the Titans. "That's my job -- to make plays," Rogers said. "I go out there and try to execute the best way I can and be as productive as I can be for our defense and the Detroit Lions." Rogers leads the Lions with 40 tackles (including two sacks) on the season.
David Terrell, WR, Bears at Bengals 7 rec., 91 yds.	An injury to Marcus Robinson opened the door for Terrell on Sunday and the rookie from Michigan took full advantage. Terrell topped his season totals in one game with seven receptions for 91 yards. With Robinson out for the season with a knee injury, Terrell must assume a central role in the Bears' offense, something he hadn't done until Sunday. Through Chicago's first four games, the No. 8 overall pick had only six catches and wasn't being used regularly. While Robinson's injury will mean an increased role for Terrell, it won't mean a spot in the starting lineup. Dick Jauron said Robinson's starting spot will go to Dez White, with Terrell remaining the No. 3 receiver. "We need to keep him (Terrell) a big part of the game plan, but we want to keep him at flanker, because that's where he has been practicing," Jauron said.
Chris Weinke, QB, Panthers vs. Redskins 24-for-35, 226 yds. 1 TD, 4 INTs	Carolina's opening-game win over the Vikings must seem like another season to Weinke and Panthers fans. Carolina lost its fifth straight game Sunday, falling to the previously winless Redskins. Weinke threw four interceptions in the game, one of which LaVar Arrington returned 67 yards for the Redskins' first points of the game. Two of Weinke's interceptions came inside the Washington 20-yard line. "Offensively, I was the reason that we weren't able to put more points on the board," Weinke told the Charlotte Observer. "We'd get down in the red zone and I'd turn it over." Weinke has thrown nine interceptions in the Panthers' last four games.

Peter Lawrence-Riddell is the assistant NFL editor for ESPN.com.