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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- EJ Manuels first completion to Sammy Watkins will go down as nothing more than a 14-yard pass play in a meaningless preseason game. But the Bills are hoping its the start of something special. Manuel completed 9 of 13 passes for 96 yards and Watkins hauled in his first three NFL receptions for 21 yards as the Bills defeated the Carolina Panthers 20-18 Friday night. "I was happy for him," Manuel said. "I gave him a high-five and told him, Welcome to the NFL." Watkins said the chemistry between the teams first-round draft picks is getting better with each passing day. "Its building," Watkins said. "Weve got a long way to go, but at the same time we understand that hes young and Im young and well get better." Cam Newton didnt play for Carolina, as coach Ron Rivera held out his Pro Bowl quarterback to rest his ankle following off-season surgery. "Hes right on track and were not overly concerned," Rivera said, adding that he expects Newton to play Aug. 17 against Kansas City. Buffalos offence still needs some work. For the second straight week the Bills struggled turning scoring opportunities into points. Buffalos first-team offence reached Carolina territory on its first three possessions but managed just three points after being stuffed on a pair of Fred Jackson runs near the goal line. "We had yardage, we moved the ball," Bills coach Doug Marrone said. "In those situations, which we work on very hard, we have to do a better job of taking advantage of those opportunities. Right now, were on the back end of what we want to convert statistically." Manuel doesnt seem too concerned. "We did a very good job at executing what we wanted to execute," Manuel said. The Panthers offence got a glimpse of their future at wide receiver, too. Kelvin Benjamin, the teams first-round draft pick, turned in the play of the game on a spectacular 32-yard touchdown catch. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Benjamin helped fans forget about Steve Smith for a moment when he raced down the left sideline, stumbled after contact with cornerback Stephon Gilmore but maintained his balance and concentration long enough to haul in a diving catch in the end zone from Derek Anderson. "The whole time I was stumbling I kept my eyes on the ball and I followed it all the way to the ground," Benjamin said. "In a split second I just stuck my arms up between the ball and the ground and caught it before it hit the ground. It was crazy." Rivera called Benjamin a young, dynamic player who is living up to his billing so far as the 28th pick in the draft. "We knew he had big play ability and those are kind of the big plays we are looking for," Rivera said. Anderson started in place of Newton and finished 5 of 7 for 65 yards and a touchdown and twice did his best Newton impersonation by running for a first down on third and long. Anderson played three series, but the other two resulted in punts. "We just need to be cleaner," Anderson said. "Get in and get out of the huddle and see things better." Carolinas other quarterbacks Matt Blanchard and Joe Webb struggled. Marrone was upset last Sunday when the Bills reached Giants territory five times but managed just one touchdown and two field goals. It looked like Buffalo would score early against the Panthers with Manuel marching 78 yards behind two grabs by Watkins. But Carolina stopped Fred Jackson on a pair of runs near the goal line and took over on downs. Buffalos first touchdown of the game in the second quarter was set up when Jarius Wynn sacked Blanchard and Manny Lawson recovered at the Carolina 28. Anthony Dixon scored on a 1-yard run to give Buffalo at 10-6 lead. NOTES: Panthers backup kicker Jordan Gay missed a 33-yard extra point in the second quarter. The NFL is trying out longer extra point attempts in preseason games. ... Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy had a sack in his first game since being convicted on two domestic violence charges. ... C.J. Spiller had 22 yards on three carries for the Bills. ... The Bills and Steelers will have joint practices Aug. 13-14 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Bob Lilly Jersey . Power had a two-lap average of 218.896 mph in qualifying Friday at the high-banked, high-speed 1 1/2-mile track for his 34th career pole. Michael Irvin Jersey . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/El...oys-Jersey/.com) - The Minnesota Twins made it official on Wednesday, announcing the signing of outfielder Torii Hunter to a one-year contract. Charles Haley Jersey .J. -- Pete Carroll said it was the suspension of linebacker Bruce Irvin last spring that finally got the attention of the rest of the Seattle Seahawks that they needed to be taking their commitment to the team more seriously. Roger Staubach Jersey . At this point, even he isnt sure when it is going to stop. The right-hander dropped his fourth straight decision in Los Angeles 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, leaving his status very much in doubt as the Dodgers prepare for the stretch drive.SONOMA, Calif. - Will Power thought the world was ending when an earthquake shook him out of bed. A few hours later at Sonoma Raceway, the sleep-deprived driver plummeted from the pole to 20th place before fighting back for a finish that actually increased his IndyCar points lead.Scott Dixon barely noticed the quake, and he calmly racked up another milestone victory while Power frantically stayed in position to take Dixons place as series champion next weekend.Dixon surged ahead with three laps left at Sonoma on Sunday, while Power recovered from a mid-race spin to finish 10th heading to the season finale.Dixon is out of the race to defend his 2013 title after a poor start to the season, but he has won two of IndyCars last three races. Unlike most of his competitors, he wasnt bothered by the 6.0 earthquake that caused extensive damage in the cities around the raceway, including Napa.I think I caught the last maybe five or 10 seconds, Dixon said. People were screaming, but I just went back to bed.Dixon grabbed his second Sonoma victory and his 35th win overall after leader Graham Rahal was forced to pit for gas with four laps left. Dixon slid inside Mike Conway for the lead and held on for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, moving him into a fifth-place tie with Bobby Unser for career victories on the circuit.Rahal and Conway both tried to push to the finish on low fuel, but neither made it. Ryan Hunter-Reay finished second, and Takuma Sato was fourth.We know our team finishes strong, but if we could have started the season on the map, we could have done a lot better, Dixon said. For me, its been one of the worst seasons Ive had.Although Dixon won, Power was under the IndyCar spotlight. The Australian boosted his lead over teammate Helio Castroneves to 51 points heading to the double-points finale at Fontana on Saturday.Castroneves struggled to an 18th-place finish at Sonoma, and Simon Pagenaud is 81 points back in third after a third-place showing on a wildd day in wine country.ddddddddddddPower crossed the finish line ninth after a ferocious last-lap push past Justin Wilson, culminating in a thrilling three-wide sprint with Sebastien Bourdais. But IndyCar recorded Wilson in ninth and Power in 10th because of a local yellow flag for the slowing car of Conway, who crawled across the line.The finish capped a tumultuous day for Power, who started on the pole in his attempt to win at Sonoma for the fourth time in five years.That was a good recovery there, Power said. We had such a fast car, but thats the way IndyCar racing goes. We maintained the points lead, and were going to Fontana. Well see what we can do, man.Sonoma Raceway was unaffected by the earthquake that hit about 10 hours before the race began. The quake left several drivers alarmed, but unharmed — although Team Penskes hotel was evacuated, and James Hinchcliffe slept a few hours in his car.Castroneves race was miserable from the opening lap when he sustained damage to a front wing in a multicar collision, forcing him to pit under green for repairs. Power had a huge early lead, but Dixon beat Power out of the pits with a nifty move on the 37th lap.Power then spun himself on cold tires on the first lap after a restart, barely avoiding a significant wreck and even falling behind Castroneves. Power struggled until his tires were replaced, but he kept pushing and gained enough ground to increase the 40-point lead he took into Sonoma over Castroneves.Dixon, who hadnt won at Sonoma since 2007, appreciated the history of catching an open-wheel great in career victories.Checking in from his vacation home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the 80-year-old Unser had kind words for the New Zealander.Scott is a very, very good driver, and records are made to be broken, Unser said. Hes truly a great driver and drives with a lot of vigour. At his young age, I am sure hell get another win or lots to pass our 35 IndyCar wins we now share together. ' ' '