FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The ritual started last October, right around the same time Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman exploded onto the NFL scene.

In a Week 4 win over the Houston Texans, immediately after scoring his third touchdown, Freeman handed the ball to then-starting center Mike Person for the celebratory spike.

It took off from there. Now Freeman just wants to keep the spike-fest going.

During his first multi-touchdown game of the season last week, Freeman gave a ball to right tackle Ryan Schraeder after a 1-yard touchdown run and one to right guard Chris Chester following a 5-yard touchdown reception. Both Schraeder and Chester delivered emphatic spikes, although Freeman nearly completed the motion himself before giving it up to Chester.

Falcons center Alex Mack spikes the football after Devonta Freeman scored a touchdown against the Broncos on Oct. 9. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Freeman's actions serve a very meaningful purpose.

"All the time, you always see the skill players -- the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers -- we all get the love," Freeman explained. "We all get the fame. I feel like the stuff that those guys up front ... they're putting their bodies on the line for us to be successful. I just want to show them love back.

"Sometimes they'll come up to me, and those guys are older than me, and they'll say, 'Free, sorry about that, man. I've got to do a better job.' And I'll be like, 'You guys are good, man. You guys bust your butt for us for four quarters straight with no rotation. We get to rotate, get fresh.' Those guys go out there and lay it on the line for us every time. "

So which lineman had the best spike thus far?

"We're running a tight race," Freeman said with a laugh. "All of them spike it good. I can't say who the winner is."

Schraeder, who whiffed on a spike at home against Carolina in Week 4 because his arm got bumped, had his successful spike against the Packers plastered all over the walls at the team's facility this week. However, Schraeder was the first to say Chester's spike had a bit more style to it.

Chester explained.

"I was trying to channel a little Dominique Wilkins with the double-clutch spike," he said. "It looked a little better in my head."

Freeman gets a kick out of seeing his teammates enjoying in the fun. That's why four of the five starting offensive linemen have spiked footballs after Freeman's five touchdowns this season. He forgot about left guard Andy Levitre, but purely by accident.

So will Levitre get his in Tampa Thursday night against the Buccaneers?

"That's the plan," Freeman said.

Left tackle Jake Matthews got this year's first spike Week 3 at New Orleans.

"I actually did it after one of our little screens, and no one saw it," Matthews said. "Mine was pretty clean but with the T.V. copy, you couldn't even see it."

Center Alex Mack, the team's big free-agent acquisition, got his spike in Week 5 at Denver. It was the first time Mack celebrated a touchdown in such a manner since he scored his own touchdown off crazy lateral in the final seconds of the 2010 Pro Bowl.

"It's just a fun way to celebrate," Mack said. "It's really cool of [Freeman]. I think it's just a way to show thank you."

More than anything, Freeman's routine is just more proof how much closer the Falcons are as team this year. Freeman, who made the Pro Bowl last season, would have brought the whole offense and coaching staff to Hawaii with him had it been his choice. That's just his team-first nature.

Teammates appreciate his sincerity.

"That's Devonta," Schraeder said. "It ain't all about him. It's about everybody around him. The way he grew up, he's very family-oriented."

Around the Falcons these days, football certainly is family.