That last statement might apply less in Chicago as they try to get some momentum but one bright spot could well be their running back Jordan Howard.
Like Elliott, he excelled as a rookie and racked up the second-most yards on the ground with 1,313 to earn a ticket to the Pro Bowl.
On paper, Howard has a tough task ahead while the Bears get organised on the back of a 3-13 season with big questions still swirling over who can secure the job at quarterback and then who said quarterback will throw to.
That could see rivals stack the box to stop Chicago’s one true offensive weapon in Howard and you end up with a very flat season similar to Todd Gurley last year in Los Angeles.
But Howard has worked incredibly hard over the summer getting stronger and faster in his running back motions and he is worth a punt to make a significant impact once more.
My pick from out of left-field is Minnesota rookie Dalvin Cook, who enters an organisation at the ideal time for a young running back.
The Vikings lost the plot for extended spells in 2016 on offense with some insipid displays but a decisive move to get back to a more physical approach and some big improvements to the line give an outstanding college player like Cook, out of Florida State, the chance to be an immediate hit.
It will be a tough ask for him to immediately restore Minnesota’s ability to dominate the line of scrimmage similar to the days of Adrian Peterson in his pomp but Cook has all the qualities to be an elite player in his position at this level.
He has the strength to make yardage in traffic, nimble feet, mental toughness to play through nicks and dings plus that all-important explosive big-play ability to turn three or four yards into a huge gain.
"This guy is pretty good," was head coach Mike Zimmer’s tongue-in-cheek assessment and Cook has already shown enough over the summer to usurp useful acquisition Latavius Murray as the starter.
Last but not least, it is the Blue Riband of passing yards and the ageless Brees will be tough to dislodge from top spot but Washington’s Kirk Cousins has pretty decent claims.
This is an important year in the capital as he enters his sixth season in the league and my hope is that he is going to be boom rather than bust with some real pressure on his shoulders.
Much of it is off the field as the Redskins have used a second franchise tag which will pay Cousins a vast sum of money for one season without the need to offer him a long-term deal.
Cousins will grudgingly play but another good year would mean he could just about write his own cheque with the going rate for quarterbacks now even higher following Matt Stafford’s monster agreement.
He has the receivers available to put up big numbers once more – including exciting new arrival Terrelle Pryor - having just fallen shy of 5,000 yards in 2016 so if Cousins can go out and let it rip, the business side of the NFL will naturally take care of itself.
Posted at 0800 BST on 05/09/17.
Coming next: AFC team-by-team guide - Tuesday, 1200 BST