Coming into the game, the Falcons were – deservedly – national darlings, rising from the ashes of the Michael Vick/Bobby Petrino disaster to success behind men you can root for, like coach Mike Smith, quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner. They were 11-5. And the Cards, of course, stumbled to the finish line. Everybody said they wouldn’t have an opportunity to win the game. Logical. But irritating nonetheless.