Charlotte, N.C. — It was far from perfect, but it was an improvement.

The Bills' 20-18 win over the Panthers on Friday night was a noticeable step in the right direction from the sluggish start to the preseason against the Giants in the Hall of Fame. EJ Manuel, who completed seven of his first eight pass attempts for 96 yards, was sharper. C.J. Spiller broke off a few big runs, and again Buffalo's defense showed why it's the strength of the team.

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The Bills won the game, but they had to overcome some deficiencies in the red zone and a few bad penalties to do it. Still, Bills coach Doug Marrone came away encouraged by the first-team offense and his quarterback.

In second preseason game brought a few more items of note from the Bills.

1. EJ Manuel improves

Even though the first-team offense failed to score a touchdown, Manuel took a noticeable step forward on Friday night. He was 9-for-13 for 96 yards but failed to reach the end zone. Still, Manuel was stepping up in the pocket and pushing the ball downfield, two things he failed to do in the Hall of Fame Game.

2. Robert Woods gets more time

Robert Woods worked in with the first-team offense on Friday and was among Manuel's favorite targets. He and rookie Sammy Watkins both had a team-high four targets when Manuel was in the game. Woods had four catches for 31 yards in the game, but Chris Hogan was still getting time in the slot.

3. Landon Cohen is making plays

For the second straight game, Landon Cohen was among the most disruptive players on the Bills' defensive line. He got some meaningful snaps early in the game and took advantage. He, along with Corbin Bryant and Stefan Charles, give the Bills a ton of depth at defensive tackle.

4. Stephon Gilmore looks rusty

It was one play in his first game of the preseason, but Stephon Gilmore should have had a better effort on Kelvin Benjamin's touchdown catch early in the game on Friday. Gilmore has been beaten a bit during training camp by Watkins as well, so he's still rounding himself into form after offseason hip surgery. With Leodis McKelvin also recovering from offseason hip surgery, Gilmore's presence is all the more important for the Bills.

5. Sammy Watkins gets the butterflies out of the way

It happened on the first pass of the game. Manuel looked right and found Watkins for a 14-yard gain, the first catch of the rookie receiver's career.

"It was a crazy feeling," Watkins said. "I got the butterflies out of the way. It felt good to just get my first catch and get the first down."

Watkins finished with three catches for 21 yards on four targets.