Cowboy Up......

After a brief hiatus, as a show of respect for former Cowboys head coach and football luminary Wade Phillips, I am back with this weekend's winners. Following a very strange week in both college and pro football, I expect a return to some form of normalcy. In an effort to be as succinct as possible, here we go.

Jets -3 Over Cleveland. The Browns are coming together as a team and have posted some impressive victories in recent weeks, most notably the dismantling of the Saints and Patriots. However, this is a bad situation for the Browns. Although the Jets have put forth several lackluster efforts as of late, this is a tough matchup for the Browns. Unlike the Saints and Patriots, the Jets are a tenacious team who will shut down a potent Browns running game. Furthermore, rookie quarterback Colt McCoy will be running for his life and forced out of his comfort zone. The last team the Browns played that resembled this Jets team was the Steelers and Pittsburgh dominated them. Although I am no fan of the road favorite, not all road favorites are created equal. Take the Jets -3 over the Browns.

Cowboys +14 Over the Giants. When was the last time the Cowboys were 14 point underdogs in a game? The answer, 2001 when they were catching 17 against the Raiders. Make no mistake about it, the Cowboys are a collection of heartless losers. That said, this is a rivalry game and the Giants have several key injuries to their offensive line. While I have no doubt the Giants will emerge victorious, I prefer to take the two touchdowns in the event of a backdoor cover. Remember, if Dallas' talented but lazy defense shows up to play, Eli Manning could get knocked around behind several new starters on the offensive line. Does anyone expect the Giants to try and win by three touchdowns late in the fourth quarter? This is a classic risk/reward play. The release....Dallas +14.