CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears rookie Tarik Cohen didn’t coin the nickname "Thunder and Lightning" for the backfield, but the on-field partnership he has formed with Jordan Howard certainly fits that description.

With all due respect to prior "Thunder and Lightning" duos such as USC’s Reggie Bush and LenDale White and Virginia Tech’s Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs, the Cohen-Howard tandem might be worthy of the moniker.

And it could be built to last.

Tarik Cohen picks up 36 yards on an overtime run to help set up the Bears' game-winning touchdown. Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports

Through three games in 2017, Cohen, 22, and Howard, 22, have combined for 354 rushing yards. Cohen averages 6.6 yards per carry. Howard’s average is 4.4, and that’s even after Howard -- second in the NFL in rushing yards last year -- averaged less than 1 yard (0.8) on nine attempts last week in Tampa.

“I think of us as ‘Thunder and Lightning’ because he’s in there punishing linebackers and punishing defensive backs and then I can come in and break a big play -- he feeds off of me and I feed off of him,” Cohen said after Sunday’s 23-17 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Howard, who left the field on two separate occasions because of a shoulder injury, gashed the Steelers for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner in OT.

“Sometimes I was hurt pretty bad,” Howard said. “I didn’t feel like I could finish. But my teammates kept pushing me through, and my coach, and I just saw my team -- they kept fighting, so I had to keep playing.

“I couldn’t even believe -- I had to look back to make sure there weren’t any flags on the game winner. Because that’s like a dream come true; you always dream about stuff like that, but it never happens, so that was crazy.”

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As for Cohen, the Bears prefer to divvy up his touches between running attempts, receptions and punt returns. Cohen, who had 15 touches on offense in Week 3, set up Howard’s winning score in overtime by running circles around Pittsburgh’s defense on a 36-yard gain -- a run that could have ended the game had Cohen not stepped out of bounds.

“I definitely know that I scored a touchdown,” Cohen laughed. “I shot that dagger 3 like Ray Allen and I felt like I finished that game.”

Cohen is also the Bears' leading receiver with 20 catches for 126 yards and one touchdown.

There’s not much Cohen can’t do, but he’s infinitely more dangerous when Howard is running well. Even with a limited passing attack, the Bears proved on Sunday they can have stretches where they dictate terms on offense when Howard and Cohen flummox defenses.

“I feel like we can be the best running back tandem,” Cohen said. “The things he does great, I can complement. When he beats up a defense, I can come in and spark it up and maybe have a big run here and there. And then he can get in there and do what he does; be the running back he was last year.”