Monday was Chiefly a work night for Patriots coaches

FOXBORO -- Impressed by what the Kansas City Chiefs did Monday night?

How could you not be any time KC takes the field? On Monday, Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes had it all working, throwing to an endless supply of receivers who run as fast as Olympic sprinters out of formations drawn up straight from a game 12-year-olds play at a neighborhood playground.

If you were looking for good entertainment from Monday night, it didn’t get much better — unless you were working.

That’s what the New England Patriots were doing as they watched the Chiefs throttle reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. While you relaxed and dove into a bag of chips with some zesty onion dip, the Patriots’ coaching staff weren’t having as much fun as they started preparing for what should be one of the toughest matchups of the season.

“You’re looking [the game] from a coach’s perspective. Just like any other opponent you’re looking to gameplan, you see what they do and what they do best, ways they try to attack you defensively,” defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington said. “That’s how I watch it, especially when you’re going to face the team the next week, not just like it’s another team you’re not playing watching it as a fan.”

“Another impressive performance, like usual. They were really dominant in the first half — basically scored 31 points there in a half of football on the road,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “… So, they’re a good football team, very talented, well-coached, played with a lot of poise and discipline, so we know we’re going to have our work cut out for us in Kansas City. It’s a championship football team and we’re going to have to play our best game and coach it.”

Kansas City did what Kansas City does Monday. Fans get to enjoy it. Opponents get to stress over it.

There isn’t much that needs to be said about Mahomes. You know what you’re getting from the league MVP who continues to make the extraordinary look rather pedestrian, like taking what seemed like a 12-step drop as he waited for Mecole Hardman to get past a defender on a double move that led to a deep TD score against the Ravens.

Belichick, who was quick to shower Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson as one of the most underrated players in the league two weeks ago, didn’t need to bathe Mahomes in praise.

“I mean, all the superlatives that have been said about him,” Belichick said, “I’d just be repeating them all.”

Mahomes’ play stands out to the average football fan as much as it does for coaches. The Chiefs’ wide array of weapons, who look like track stars wearing pads, are also pretty evident.

It’s also a huge part of the problem when planning for Kansas City. You can plan for schemes, think about what wrinkles an opponent might use or strategies they normally deploy. But when it comes to their players running faster than your players, it’s not something you can just go out and practice.

“You really can’t give it a look like it’s going to be in the game. It is what is is; when you get into a game, especially for the younger guys, they’re gonna see it’s a lot different than in practice,” linebackers coach Jerod Mayo said. “You really can’t replicate how fast all these guys move, long speed or short area quickness.”

To make matters worse for opposing defenses, the Chiefs also don’t force-feed the ball to their superstars. Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill can put up the type of numbers that make fantasy football players drool, but Sammy Watkins is no slouch lining up outside and Hardman might be the fastest player in the league.

Throw in first-round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and the Chiefs have a dynamic running attack to complement an already impossibly good passing attack.

“If you take one thing away, they’ll hit you with something else,” linebackers coach Steve Belichick said. “If they take two things away, they’ll have third, fourth and fifth options to try and combat that.”

“They have a multitude of ways to attack the defense and they do them all every week,” Bill Belichick said. “So sooner or later you’re going to get tested and you’ve got just to be ready to handle it.”

Monday might have been a work night for the coaching staff, but the rest of the week is when they try and put on a happy face. Fans might be nervous thinking about how the Patriots will find a way to slow Mahomes and Co. down, but for the coaching staff, this is what they live for.

“That’s our job. It’s always fun to attack new schemes, to learn about new schemes and try and put together a game plan to get after these guys,” Steve Belichick said. “Hopefully we can come up with something good. We’re all working through it all right now so we’ll see what we can come up with.”