FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Russell Gage ran downfield and hit the double move on a Carolina Panthers defensive back, just as quarterback Matt Ryan sold his pump fake and launched the ball.

It was the second drive two weeks ago against the Panthers, and the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) needed to get something going.

For much of the season, the franchise has looked to other places – Kyle Pitts or Cordarrelle Patterson – to jumpstart the team’s offense. On this day, and increasingly lately, it has been looking to Gage.

“It’s a credit to him,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “He stayed with it.”

This season, in many ways, was a real opportunity for Gage. The potential of a solidified, understood role as a week-in, week-out starter. The chance to emerge during a contract year -- always good timing -- to then receive a payday that could alter life for generations of his family.

But things, well, they haven’t quite gone that way for the 25-year-old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In the final year of his contract with the Falcons, it has been a little hit and miss because of an early-season injury and then inconsistent production. But right now, as the season is winding down, he has been hitting more often than missing, potentially finding his way to the ball at the right time.

Not that he’s thinking about it (at least publicly).

“At this point, I’m trying to make the playoffs,” Gage said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. ... I think I expressed this before, I love winning, and I would love to be in the playoff atmosphere."

For the second straight season, Gage’s role has become bigger than initially anticipated. In 2020, Gage became the team’s de facto No. 2 receiver as Julio Jones battled injuries. This year, when he was slated to be the No. 2 receiver after Jones was traded to Tennessee, he in effect became Atlanta’s No. 1 after Calvin Ridley left the team on Halloween to handle personal issues.

And it has been an up-and-down experience since. Gage dealt with injury issues himself, missing three games in September and early October with an ankle injury. And soon after he returned, he endured a stretch where he was held without a catch in two of three games. Since then, though, the player Atlanta might have expected him to be this season has emerged.

Since being held without a catch against Dallas on Nov. 14, Gage has seen at least six targets each week. He has had at least four catches in every game, as well, and he gained at least 49 yards against the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Panthers.

Included was an 11-catch, 130-yard game against the Buccaneers, the closest he has come to showing his potential this year, and then eight catches for 91 yards and a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers.

Not numbers for a sure-fire No. 1 receiver on the whole, but he's clearly shown flashes.

“I just think he’s done a great job of staying in the scheme, doing exactly what we’re asking him to do,” Ryan said. “Not trying to do too much. Trying to be open in the timing of the play.

“We talked about that all the time. We love you to get awesome separations, but it’s got to be within the timing of the scheme.”

Gage’s timing has improved week over week. He has been more available on intermediate routes and a player whom Ryan has been able to force-feed the ball when necessary. He had an early stretch against Carolina where he had three catches on one possession -- two for first downs and they all helped lead to the Falcons’ first score of the day.

That he has emerged, even a little bit, has become critical to Atlanta attempting to move its offense. Much of the attention in the scheme goes to Pitts and Patterson, so for Gage to display some type of consistency has been a benefit for Atlanta’s offense.

“If you’re doing everything right, the ball is going to find you,” Gage said. “You know, you’re going to have weeks where you don’t get many targets at all, and you’re going to have weeks where you have a lot of targets. Defenses, they vary from week to week, so you don’t really know.

“You have to stay the course.”

Staying the course has been important for Gage and for the Falcons. It fits with Smith’s thought of “keeping a sober mindset” when approaching almost everything that he does. That Gage can believe in that helps.

Because as his production has increased, it has been needed. Consider: Ridley, who appeared in just five games, is still fifth on the team in catches (31) and second amongst receivers, behind just Gage. He’s fourth in receiving yards (281), behind Gage, Patterson and Pitts.

So it’s not surprising that entering Tuesday, the Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp (1,489) has more yards receiving than the 1,419 yards all of Atlanta’s wide receivers had combined. Ten receivers have at last as many receiving touchdowns than the eight the Falcons do as a receiver group.

The emergence of Gage, who has 50 catches for 555 yards and three touchdowns, has leveled that a bit.

“He's had production the last couple of weeks,” Smith said. “He may have not been the primary, but he's in the right spot."