PITTSBURGH -- It took Vontaze Burfict very little time to make an impact Sunday for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Actually, it took only one play.

As Burfict received his first start in about a year, the Pro Bowl linebacker wasted very little time to start collecting tackles. He did so on the opening snap, bringing down Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell for a 1-yard gain. It was the first of four tackles Burfict would have on Bell.

"It's an emotional day for him," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "It's good to get out there for him to start working on his conditioning."

Burfict became well-conditioned by the end of the game, drawing more snaps than anticipated. Expected to play some 10-15 snaps, he blew well past that number relatively early in the game as he was tasked with helping fill in for middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, who left in the first quarter with a calf injury.

"I just had to push through, dig down deep and finish," Rey said. "It was a long game, though. It's way different than rehab."

Burfict had spent the past 10 months rehabbing his left knee after having to undergo microfracture surgery on it in January. Originally injured in Week 8 of last season, it had been a full year between the time Burfict last played in a ballgame. That lengthy recovery process didn't end until last Thursday, when he was finally cleared to practice.

When it came to his tackles on Bell, it was the last of those tackles that many will be talking about Monday. At the end of an 8-yard second-quarter run, Burfict brought down Bell with a hard tackle along Pittsburgh's sideline that appeared to twist the running back's knee awkwardly. The injury caused Bell to be helped off the field and loaded onto a cart on the sideline before being taken to the locker room for observation. Bell was quickly ruled out of the game with a right knee injury.

It was in the Bengals' last game at Heinz Field during the 2014 regular-season finale when Bell was lost for the remainder of that game, as well as the playoff loss a week later, due to an injury to that same knee. Bengals safety Reggie Nelson struck the knee during an open-field stop.

Immediately after recording his tackle, Burfict jumped up and sprinted some 30 yards across the field toward the Bengals' sideline. He and a Bengals cornerback jumped into each other in celebration of the play. Burfict told reporters he wasn't aware that Bell was hurt, and he added that he was friends with the Steelers rusher. While Burfict claims to have not been aware of his actions, Steelers players were.

"He's that type of guy," Steelers guard Ramon Foster said. "That type of guy will get his sooner or later. ... If you've played against him, you know what I mean by it. He'll play it off, act dumb about it, but you don't run across the field acting hyped, celebrating, running up and down when a guy goes down like that."

Ugly as the injury was -- there were several audible gasps inside the press box when replays of it were shown -- the play proved precisely the impact of Burfict's return. Part of the Bengals' impetus to activating him this week had to do with the true ground game test that confronted them this week. Coaches knew that with the two-headed backfield beast of Bell and DeAngelo Williams they were going to need an enforcer in the running game. That's precisely what Burfict has provided throughout his four-year career.

As the season continues Thursday night at home against Cleveland, and with the current uncertainty about Maualuga's status, a now-healthy Burfict could remain important.