NFL Football Picks: Carolina Panthers at New York Giants

Carolina Panthers supporters anticipated a rebound season with QB Jake Delhomme returning to health. (AP Images)"]

Lo and behold, Carolina is in the playoffs at 11-3 SU and 8-5-1 ATS. But they’re still playing second fiddle in the NFC to the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants (11-3 SU, 10-4 ATS). The Giants are 3-point favorites (–125) for Sunday night’s matchup at the Meadowlands.

Being the No. 2 seed in the conference, will the Cats try harder? They’ve won three in a row SU and ATS to sit on the cusp of clinching the NFC South, while the Giants already nailed down top spot in the NFC East despite two straight upsets.

Perhaps the weather will intervene on New York’s behalf. Temperatures for Sunday night are expected to hover around the freezing point with a 40 percent chance of precipitation. The under is on a 3-0 streak for Big Blue.