Kansas City, Mo. ? If Marvin Lewis is mad at the Kansas City Chiefs, he’s not letting on. Leave that to Rudi Johnson.

Still fresh in the mind of Cincinnati’s star running back are bitter memories of K.C. holding a 30-3 lead in the final three minutes but still chucking passes into the end zone – and hitting one.

“It left a bad taste in our mouth,” said Johnson. “Nobody’s forgotten that game.”

Now eight months later and buoyed by Carson Palmer’s remarkable recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, the Bengals will open the season today in the very stadium and against the very team that mauled them, 37-3, in last year’s regular-season finale.

The Chiefs had already been shut out of the playoffs because of Pittsburgh’s victory that day over Detroit.

But in Dick Vermeil’s final game as head coach, they wanted to see Trent Green get 4,000 yards passing and Larry Johnson erase the team rushing record.

So they kept pouring on the fire and, at the Bengals’ expense, both did.

Green’s 4,014 yards made him the fourth quarterback in NFL history to post three consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. Johnson had 201 yards and three TDs and a team-record 1,750 yards.

“We’ve had this game marked on our calendar for a year,” said Johnson. “We’re looking forward to going out there and putting on a great show.”

Nonsense, says Lewis.

“They’re a different football team coached by a different person than last year,” said the Bengals coach. “We’re a different team. They’re a different team. This is a new season.”

In Kansas City’s defense, the Bengals already had wrapped up their first playoff berth since 1990 and Palmer and many other starters played only a few series.

Nevertheless, it stung.

But as Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen points out, Vermeil has been replaced by Herm Edwards.

“That has nothing to do with us,” he said. “That’s the coach’s decision. He’s the one calling plays. We’re out here to win. We’re trying to score as many points as possible and hold their (offense) from scoring as few points as possible.

“Last time I checked, football’s not a sport about compassion, it’s a sport about knocking heads together and the best man’s going to win.”