TUCSON, Ariz. -- When New England Patriots rookie running backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. each scored a touchdown in the team's 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, they had team historians going deep into the record books.
It marked the first time the franchise had two rookies score a rushing touchdown in the same game since 1987, when Bob Bleier and Carl Woods did so in replacement-player games during the NFL players' union strike. The last time it happened prior to that was in 1972 with Josh Ashton and Brian Dowling.
That significant gap reflects, in part, why few anticipated both Harris and Strong playing a notable role Monday night.
Why would they? Through the first 12 games of the season, Harris had played only 13 offensive snaps in total, Strong 10. Furthermore, Patriots coaches seemed reluctant to turn to them, as evidenced by second-year back Rhamondre Stevenson playing 53 of 54 snaps the week before.
But Monday night offered them no other choice.
When Stevenson was knocked out of the game in the first half by an ankle injury, Harris and Strong were the only healthy options left on the roster. Harris' 14-yard touchdown run was his signature hard-charging play, while Strong's 44-yard jaunt was the team's second longest of the season, and he followed that up with a 3-yard score.
"It was great. They got an opportunity and made some big plays," coach Bill Belichick said. "We'll see if they can sustain it, show up week after week, and people will start looking for them."
The answer might come as soon as Sunday in Las Vegas, where the Patriots visit the Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox). Stevenson figures to be, at the least, limited in practices at the University of Arizona leading up to the game. And it's unknown whether fellow running back Damien Harris, who has missed the past two games with a thigh injury but is on the week-long road trip with the team, might be ready.
So the rookies will have to be ready, just like Monday night. In all, the Patriots totaled 156 scrimmage yards from their rookie class, their most in a game since 2013.
Strong had 70 yards on five carries to go along with two catches for 20 yards. Harris totaled 26 rushing yards on eight carries, while receivers Tyquan Thornton (four catches, 28 yards) and Marcus Jones (one catch, 12 yards) also showed up on the stat sheet.
Strong described his relationship with Harris as a "little brother, big brother" dynamic.
"It means the world for us to both make our first career touchdowns [in the same game]," he said.
When the Patriots used those draft picks to select the running backs -- Strong in the fourth round out of South Dakota State and Harris in the sixth out of South Carolina -- it sparked questions as to why they would double-dip at running back. Especially when they already have Stevenson and Damien Harris.
Director of player personnel Matt Groh explained that part of it was simply adding talented players, while also acknowledging, "With how physical this game is, you can never have enough good guys to hand the ball off to."
It also helped that they have contrasting styles, the 5-foot-10, 225-pound Harris a powerful bulldozer, and the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Strong a speedster.
"I'm extremely proud of them," running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri said Tuesday after their breakthrough performances, with Harris playing 29 offensive snaps and Strong 19.
"I saw them week after week, day after day, stay patient and continue to be true professionals. They took the game plans each week with the mindset they could possibly play. Then they went out there [Monday] and took a major leap."