Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage was forced to leave Monday night's playoff game in an ambulance ... and the scene was scary -- particularly in the wake of Damar Hamlin's on-field medical emergency just two weeks ago.
Gage went down awkwardly late in the fourth quarter of TB's blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys -- and he didn't get up immediately ... prompting officials and medical personnel to race onto the field to tend to him.
The 26-year-old wideout, who took a violent hit to the head and neck area on the play, stayed down for several minutes .