The NFL is back! Preseason begins with Las Vegas Raiders blowing out under-manned Jacksonville Jaguars

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 0931 GMT (1731 HKT) August 5, 2022

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham celebrates with tight end Jacob Hollister after scrambling for a touchdown during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

(CNN)After nearly six long months away, the NFL is back.

The 2022 season's preseason began on Thursday with the typical curtain raiser at the Hall of Fame game, signaling the beginning of another season of drama, excitement and the highest level of skill imaginable. And it was the perfect start to life in a new home for Josh McDaniels, the Las Vegas Raiders' new head coach who joined in January after a long, trophy-laden spell with the New England Patriots. His Raiders thumped the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-11, spoiling first-year Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson's debut game at the helm. It was a homecoming win for Jacksonville native McDaniels, who was returning to the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium where he once played for Canton McKinley High School, patrolling the sidelines he watched his father, Thom McDaniels, coach on for nearly two decades.Read MoreJosh McDaniels looks on during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars.«Very grateful that I had (the chance),» McDaniels said afterwards. «It's the first time I've been in this Hall of Fame Game in 22 years. To have an opportunity to do that with him here and my family and plenty of people that helped me along the way, I think it was a special night for them. »You never know if you'll get this opportunity again. I really savored it. It was a good opportunity for all of us, and I think we all enjoyed it."In a game without most of both teams' starters — Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and star wide receiver Davante Adams sat out