One of the most exciting rivalries in the NFL of late has been the one involving the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. Including back-to-back showdowns in the AFC Championship Game in 2021 and 2022, the teams have met five times over the last three seasons, with Kansas City winning the last two meetings after losing the previous three. The Chiefs and Bengals square off again when they meet Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.

A rivalry within the rivalry pits Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes against Cincinnati counterpart Joe Burrow. The first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow has had the upper hand in this matchup, winning three of their four encounters. The 27-year-old Bengals signal-caller is tied with Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and the legendary Tom Brady for the most career victories against Mahomes.

For their Week 2 showdown on Sunday, the Chiefs are 5.5-point favorites in the latest odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points is 48. Only three other Week 2 games have a higher total, and as recent history shows, a shootout in Kansas City would seem to favor Burrow and the Bengals.

In each of Burrow's three triumphs over Mahomes and the Chiefs, a minimum of 51 points were produced by the two clubs. Kansas City's lone win against a Burrow-led Cincinnati squad, which came in the 2022 conference title game, saw the teams combine for 43 points. 

However, of these two clubs, Kansas City was the one that got its 2024 campaign off on the right foot. In a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game, the result was the same as the Chiefs posted a 27-20 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. It was Kansas City's seventh consecutive win, a streak that began in Week 17 of the 2023 season with a 25-17 triumph over the Bengals - a game in which backup Jake Browning was under center for Cincinnati in place of an injured Burrow.

While the Chiefs never trailed in their 17-10 triumph at Baltimore in last year's conference title game, they allowed the Ravens to strike first last weekend before taking the lead early in the second quarter and never relinquishing it. Mahomes threw for 291 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening victory, while rookie wideout Xavier Worthy hauled in the scoring pass and added a TD run.

The Bengals, meanwhile, were 7.5-point favorites at home against New England but dropped a 16-10 decision to the Patriots. Cincinnati, which didn't get on the scoreboard until late in the third quarter, was outgained 290-224 in total yards and 170-70 on the ground.

We'll take you through every aspect of the Chiefs-Bengals game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the contest.

Who wins Chiefs vs. Bengals in their Week 2 matchup, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? ... Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know about the game in Week 2 of the 2024 season!!