Fans Pack NFL Hall Of Fame In Canton

Be prepared, wives of America. For the next seven months, your husband will be rekindling the fire with that pesky mistress, the NFL. On Thursday night, the NFL officially returned via the Hall of Fame Game, beginning a seven month stretch of non-stop football.

I know, I know. What we saw in Canton, Ohio could've been more aptly named the "Hall of Lame Game," but the snooze fest did give us our first glimpse of NFL football since February. Not much stood out on-field, but seeing a packed stadium again was a sight for sore eyes. For perspective, Tom Brady was still a Patriot the last time an NFL game was at full capacity.

For those wondering (I'm talking to you, degenerate gamblers), Pittsburgh beat Dallas 16 - 3. As is usually the case for the preseason opener, the big names from both teams were idle. Roethlisberger, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot, and Cam Heyward were among the veterans given the night off.

Steelers rookie first-round draft pick Najee Harris started and touched the ball eight times, totaling 25 yards in his first NFL action. The Cowboys were paced by second-year running back Rico Dowdle, who had a game-high 43 rushing yards and added two receptions. Filling out the box score were a bunch of guys you'd need a program to identify.

The first half featured just three total points, courtesy of a Dallas field goal. Then Pittsburgh found pay dirt in the third quarter and never looked back.

More importantly, both teams seemed to escape the game without any major injuries.

Preseason records don't matter and no one's going to remember the score. But make no mistake - Football is back!