Football is back! Well, sort of.

On Sunday night, we saw plenty of players dressed in Steelers and Vikings uniforms taking part in the Hall of Fame Game, but most of the starters for both teams were either on the sideline from the opening kickoff or ended up there after a few series. When it was over, the Vikings prevailed, 14-3.

And while those players earning the majority of the playing time probably won't make the final roster, the 2015 NFL preseason is officially upon us, which means there will be actual football every weekend between now and February. Yes, it's hard to glean a lot from a game like this, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to talk about, so let's get to it ...

Teddy Bridgewater looked sharp. Usual caveats apply -- namely: IT'S THE HALL OF FAME GAME -- but Bridgewater picked up where he left off last season. In one quarter's work, he completed 5 of 6 passes for 44 yards and looked poised and patient on every dropback. It's funny to think that a year ago, Bridgewater was still being criticized for those poor pre-draft workouts that saw him slide to the bottom of the first round.

Meanwhile, he became only the third rookie quarterback to throw touchdown passes in 10 straight games (along with Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton). And his 72.1 percent completion rate over his final five rookie games was bettered by only one player: Ben Roethlisberger.

Now Bridgewater will have Adrian Peterson in the backfield (AP didn't see the field Sunday) and one of the league's fastest wide receiver corps in Mike Wallace, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jarius Wright.

The Vikings are a lot of folks' (us included) darkhorse candidate to make the playoffs, and there wasn't anything we saw during his brief appearance against the Steelers to change our minds. A lot can change, of course, but so far, so good. (Hey, it's a start.)

About that Steelers' defense. One of the big storylines coming out of training camp is that the Steelers appear to be moving to more Cover-2 looks. That's not to say they never played Cover 2 under Dick LeBeau, who is now with the Titans, but LeBeau's defenses featured a lot of Cover 3 with zone-blitz concepts up front. But Mike Tomlin learned the Cover 2 under Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, and now he's implementing it in Pittsburgh with new coordinator Keith Butler.

Like any change, there will be an adjustment period, and we saw it on the Vikings' second-quarter scoring drive, a 34-yard touchdown pass from Mike Kafka to a wide open MyCole Pruitt. There appeared to be a blown coverage among the linebackers and Pruitt waltzed into the end zone untouched.

But the Steelers also don't have Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu in the secondary -- both players retired -- and there are a lot of young guys among the front seven. The Cover 2 allows a defense to avoid big plays and keep the ball in front of them, something LeBeau's defense struggled with a season ago.

In limited work, veteran inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons looked to be in midseason form, even in a new(-ish) defense -- he stuffed Wright on a third-down play:

And a play later, on 4th and 2, second-year linebacker Ryan Shazier took out the fullback and the running play was stuffed for no gain. Much like Bridgewater's performance above, these flashes are encouraging but consistency will ultimately decide just how good this unit will be.

Who shined, who didn't. First things first: Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Heath Miller, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant didn't play and that makes sense. Same for Adrian Peterson, who will likely get the LaDainian Tomlinson treatment and not see the field at any point this preseason to keep him fresh. But plenty of guys were vying for jobs or looking to gain experience.

Which brings us to Steelers former fourth-round pick Landry Jones, who struggled in his two previous preseasons and could be looking at his last best chance to make the roster. On Sunday he was ... fine. And sometimes that's good enough, especially when talking about a backup quarterback. He doesn't look to unseat Bruce Gradkowski anytime soon, assuming that Gradkowski's arm injury gets better soon.

The aforementioned Pruitt also played well. The rookie fifth-rounder came into the game listed third on the depth chart behind Kyle Rudolph and Rhett Ellison, but that could change if he continues to show well.

Undrafted Steelers rookie Shakim Phillips beat Vikings rookie first-rounder Trae Waynes with a great one-handed grab at the end of the first half.

Speaking of Waynes ... he was also called for pass interference and defensive holding. His speed is undeniable, but just like fellow Michigan State teammate and 2014 Bengals first-rounder Darqueze Dennard, Waynes' physicality downfield could be an issue.

Steelers tight end Jesse James dropped an easy touchdown pass, and later bobbled a pass that was intercepted. So, yeah, tough night.

Then there's Stefon Diggs, who has been the talk of Vikings camp:

The play was reviewed and upheld, but impressive nonetheless.

Odds and ends...

STAR POWER

AND MORE STAR POWER

(Somebody wearing a) Tebow (jersey) is a Steelers fan...

Payback, Vikings style...

Jerome Bettis got another huge ovation, this time before the game...

These are what Tim Brown's eyes look like from an inch away.

Tony Dungy, original hipster:

One preseason game down, four remaining ... and then it's go time.

Teddy Bridgewater looked good in limited duty against the Steelers. (USATSI)
Teddy Bridgewater looked good in limited duty against the Steelers. (USATSI)