Las Vegas Sports Consultants just released its Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, listing the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants as the best team.  New York (8-1 straight up, 7-2 against the spread) enters its game against Baltimore this weekend riding a four-game SU and ATS winning streak.  The Giants (144.4) have a full-point lead over second-ranked Pittsburgh (143.4), while undefeated Tennessee remains as the third-ranked team with a power rating of 143.0.

"The New York Giants are ranked first right now because they are the best all-around team that has played a tougher schedule than Tennessee," stated LVSC oddsmaker Sean Van Patten.  "Tennessee is undefeated, but the Titans have had to scratch and claw their way to victories.  I just see more balance with New York's lineup."

Advertisement

Pittsburgh (6-3 SU, 4-5 ATS) drops down to second in the LVSC rankings after going 1-2 SU and ATS its last three games.  The Steelers face another tough test this weekend with a home game against San Diego.  LVSC installed the Steelers as a 4 1/2-point favorite over the Chargers (140.5) based on power ratings and homefield advantage.

"Pittsburgh is a good team with a strong defense, and deserves to be a top team when all the pieces are healthy," noted Van Patten.  "Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is banged up right now, but I think the main reason he has struggled lately is because of all the injuries to the running backs."

The NFC East remains the best division in football, boasting all four teams in the top-six according to LVSC.  Only two of these team will be eligible for the postseason, so it begs the question.  Is it better playing in a tough division like the NFC East or a weaker one like the NFC West?

"I think it's an advantage playing in a hard division fighting for a playoff slot," said Van Patten.  "Teams that advance are already battle tested, and strong conferences prepare you for the postseason."

Dallas (141.0) saw its stock improve the most from last week, catapulting from 20th to fifth with the return of quarterback Tony Romo.  The Cowboys have the Sunday Night Football matchup against rival Washington (140.9), listed as a slight road 'chalk.'  Dallas entered its bye week dropping three of four SU and ATS without Romo on the field.

"I believe Romo is a big difference in the long run, but not so much so this week," said Van Patten.  "The Cowboys ratings should improve when he's 100 percent healthy, but they weren't playing that great when he got injuried."

Now here's a look at the latest LVSC numbers for Week 11.

LVSC NFL POWER RANKINGS

Rank Team Rating Previous Rank 1 NEW YORK GIANTS 144.4 2 2 PITTSBURGH 143.4 1 3 TENNESSEE 143.0 3 4 WASHINGTON  141.1 5 5 DALLAS*** 141.0 20 6 PHILADELPHIA 140.9 4 7 NEW ENGLAND 140.8 10 8 SAN DIEGO 140.5 6 9 INDIANAPOLIS 140.4 7 10 CAROLINA 140.2 11 11 TAMPA BAY 139.9 8 12 NEW YORK JETS 139.6 18 12 BALTIMORE 139.6 17 14 ARIZONA 138.7 16 15 MINNESOTA 138.5 15 15 GREEN BAY 138.5 9 17 JACKSONVILLE 137.6 14 18 NEW ORLEANS 137.3 13 19 BUFFALO 136.9 12 20 CHICAGO 136.8 19 21 ATLANTA 136.5 25 22 DENVER 135.0 21 23 MIAMI 134.7 23 24 CLEVELAND 134.4 23 25 HOUSTON 134.3 22 26 SAN FRANCISCO 132.8 27 27 SEATTLE 132.2 29 28 CINCINNATI 131.5 28 29 KANSAS CITY 131.1 30 29 ST. LOUIS 131.1 26 31 DETROIT 129.8 30 32 OAKLAND 129.3 32

***Romo returns for Dallas

Brad Young can be reached at byoung@vegasinsider.com.