As is natural anywhere, Atlanta loves a winner. Trouble is, for too many seasons the city has looked for love in all the wrong places. Like the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and, lately, Turner Field.

Atlanta Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson missed Friday’s practice due to an ankle injury and has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s NFC wild card round playoff game with the Arizona Cardinals.

Tempe, Ariz. — The Falcons went through a brisk walk-through practice at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium on Friday.

One staged a remarkable one-season turnaround with a smooth, efficient rookie at the controls. The other emerged from a legacy of losing behind the ageless arm of a gunslinging veteran. The Atlanta Falcons vs. the Arizona Cardinals was not exactly a predictable playoff pairing when the season began. Their wild card matchup on Saturday is yet another example of the parity that prevails in the NFL.

Before the Carolina Panthers finished a leisurely workout Friday, coach John Fox handed out weekend instructions to his players: rest, stay out of trouble and watch football on TV. A key perk of being the No. 2 seed in the NFC is a first-round bye and a second-round home game. Meanwhile, their opponent on Jan.

He was married in the Vatican, which figures to be no trivial matter to a Catholic named Pat Bowlen.

Raheem Morris was named Tampa Bay’s next defensive coordinator on Christmas Day.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The NFL has granted a second, final 24-hour extension of its television blackout deadline for the Arizona Cardinals’ wild card playoff game against Atlanta on Saturday.

A look at Saturday’s first-round playoff matchup between the Falcons and the Cardinals.

Editor’s note: AJC columnist Jeff Schultz will blog live during Saturday’s Falcons-Cardinals playoff game. Follow the game with Schultz and add your comments.