Tips & Tricks » defensive mix-up. Ronaldo forced Neuer into an

Some thoughts on Week 2. Lets start in Buffalo - How about E.J. Manuel? Maybe - just maybe - the Bills have found a quarterback for the next 10 years. But with a very close loss against New England and a dramatic win over Carolina you cant help but be optimistic about the possibility. Manuel went 27-of-39 for 296 yards, yet the most impressive aspect was moving the Bills 80 yards for the winning touchdown - not a field goal but a touchdown! And when youve done it once, its a bit easier to do it again when the challenge presents itself. You cant help but like E.J. Manuel. Living where I do, I get a lot of Buffalo Bills coverage. And Manuel comes across as a guy who is happy to be there. No arrogance, no sense of entitlement. Just trying to figure it out in the well-paid, high pressure of NFL football. There was a great moment where, after beating Carolina, he found his father in the stands and made him a part of his first NFL win. At the risk of sounding over-sensitive - that was great. You add that quarterback play with Mario Williams being more productive in one game than any other and Buffalo is better than expected. In Chicago, the Bears are 2-0. Thats very significant because coach Marc Trestman inherited a 10-6 team and the excuse window for not winning is very small. Both of his games against were last moment wins, but they do play a decimated Steelers team - so win No. 3 just might happen. The jurys still out if Jay Cutler has improved under Trestman, but a 2-0 start means the pressure is off for at least another week. Now Im not sure how to read the Eagles after two games either. The obvious statement is yes - Chip Kelly has an explosive and entertaining offence. But Philip Rivers ran an offence for 538 yards and looked great too. Many NFL offences have looked good, but the Chargers just looked great. San Diego also had a 40-minute time of possession, which relates to Kellys offence almost scoring too fast and giving an opponent extra opportunities. Against Washington, the Eagles ran 77 plays. And they ran just 53 against the Chargers. On Thursday against the Chiefs, it will be interesting to see if they end with a high number like they did in Week 1 or a low number like in Week 2. Now the Washington Redskins have problems. Theres a lot of talk about RGIII not being RGIII. But on defense, the Redskins have already allowed 1,000 yards in two games. Against the Eagles, Griffin had to overcome a major deficit. It was the same case against the Packers. When youre down by two or three touchdowns, youre playing major catch-up football and you lose play-calling balance. And the best player on the Redskins roster right now is Alfred Morris. But with such a major points deficit to overcome, hes eliminated from the offence and play action passes are not respected. The Redskins best games may be after November. Kansa City is 2-0 with an easy win over Jacksonville and a tough win over Dallas. Theres nothing flashy about Alex Smith, but he had another turnover-free game. The Chiefs will be the type of team that waits for you to self-destruct and take advantage of that moment - the complete opposite of Seattle. The Seahawks force you into a mistake and take advantage. Russell Wilson is excellent and thats a given. But the Seahawks are a Super Bowl contender because they have the best combination of pass coverage and pass rush. When Ken Irvin and Chris Clemons get back, it will only get better. When Anquan Boldin catches 13 passes one week against Green Bay and only 1-for-7 the next week against Seattle, youre really good at your job. Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, 20-10 over Pittsburgh was solid, but it should have been 42-3. Pittsburgh came into that game limping in every way possible and the Bengals couldnt dominate. I will say this, though - Giovannie Bernard is going to be a major player. And if they get Andrew Hawkins back, the combination of the two with that explosive speed could put Cincinnati over the top. The time is right for someone to take the AFC North and with Baltimore looking average, Pittsburgh rebuilding (yeah, I said it) and Cleveland (always) rebuilding, its a giant opportunity for Cincy to step up. Playing Green Bay at home this week will say a lot. College Michael Jordan Jersey . When a game is in the balance, however, they still have the personnel and the experience to end up with the two points. Tom Brady Jersey Throwback . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/tom-brady-jersey/ . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. Signed Michael Jordan Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts signed the veteran linebacker to a three-year deal Tuesday, hours after the start of CFL free agency. Authentic Michael Jordan Jersey . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday.MADRID, Spain -- Karim Benzemas goal gave Real Madrid a 1-0 first-leg victory over title holder Bayern Munich on Wednesday, but the nine-time champions may live to regret the missed chances in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Madrid endured plenty of pressure in the first leg match, but scored from a 19th-minute counter-attack. Cristiano Ronaldo found Fabio Coentrao speeding down the left flank and Benzema steered his low cross past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Ronaldo returned from a left leg injury but missed a number of scoring opportunities before eventually giving way to Gareth Bale, who had started on the bench after battling with flu. Bayern pressed for an equalizer in the closing stages, forcing Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas to deny Mario Goetze in the 84th minute while fellow substitute Thomas Mueller had no better luck with his late effort from inside the area. But Madrid should have extended its lead ahead of Tuesdays return leg in Germany, as the team bids to end a three-season semifinal losing streak and reach the final for the first time since winning in 2002. "If you want to do damage, you have to go for the victory -- because 1-0 is not definitive," Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said as he looked ahead to a tough second leg match. "But its a good result to take to Munich." Atletico Madrid or Chelsea await in the May 24 final in Lisbon, with the pair playing to a scoreless draw in their first-leg match on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola endured his first loss at the Bernabeu as coach after seven previous visits with Barcelona, and at times the encounter took on the appearance of a "clasico" with Madrid looking to capitalize on the break while the visitors controlled play. "Madrid thrives off the counter attack, Madrid is the best team in the world on the counter," Guardiola said. "They get back as fast as they go forward, theyre athletes." Madrids defence did well to contain Bayern in its area and then break quickly, but the Spanish club squandered its other chances after Benzema broke the ddeadlock.dddddddddddd. Ronaldo, who looked uncomfortable at times despite passing a late fitness test, followed up a sharp header at Neuer with a first-time shot from Luka Modrics perfect pass in the 26th minute -- only for his effort to fly high over the top with just the Germany keeper to beat. Madrid dug in and did well to clear many of Bayerns best opportunities as it controlled three-quarters of possession in the first half. The German champions found space between the lines and combined some swift passing movements, with Franck Ribery picking out Arjen Robben inside the area in the 39th. But Madrid weathered each buildup before surging forward, with Angel Di Maria gathering a loose ball at the right post only to wildly shoot over Neuer before halftime. After the break, Neuer had to dive low to keep out Ronaldos angled shot after a Bayern defensive mix-up. Ronaldo forced Neuer into another low save before giving way to Bale, who energized Madrids attack with his pace. The Welshman was playing for the first time since his stunning winner in Madrids 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. "Its been 20 days Cristiano hasnt been 100 per cent, so it was a sacrifice for him. It couldnt have been easy for Cristiano tonight," said Ancelotti, who remained unbeaten against Bayern with his fifth win in seven meetings. "But Cristiano and Bale will be 100 per cent" for the return, the Italian coach added. Guardiola brought on Mueller and Goetze for the final quarter and Mueller nearly equalized with a rising shot in the 81st. A chance then fell to Goetze in the Madrid area but Casillas reacted well to stop the Germans powerful volley. "They had chances to score more goals, definitely," said Guardiola. "We probably should have created a few more scoring chances. (But) they have a very good defence." Bayern had gone 29 matches without scoring coming into the 20th meeting between the storied European rivals, and will still rate its chances of reaching a third straight final with the return leg at home. ' ' '