Interception-happy Patrick Mahomes needs to send Steve Spagnuolo a fruit basket

If anyone is arguing with you that Patrick Mahomes isn't the best quarterback in the NFL, they might just be a Kansas City Chiefs hater. Having said that, there's been one glaring issue making the two-time MVP look very un-Mahomesian and DeAndre Hopkins wasn't an immediate cure for the problem: He can't stop throwing interceptions.

Entering the Week 8 rivalry matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, Mahomes had eight interceptions on the season to only six touchdown passes, throwing at least one pick in all six of the Chiefs' games.

And even against a Raiders defense that's been more than generous to opposing passing offenses, he did it again in the third quarter on Sunday, not evading some pressure from the Vegas rush and seeing his pass deflected up in the air and into the arms of Tre'von Moehrig.

That's now nine interceptions on the season for Mahomes and, with Moehrig returning the pick to the Kansas City 3-yard line, the Chiefs defense was put in an awful spot. But Steve Spagnuolo was once again there to save the day.

Patrick Mahomes keeps getting bailed out by Steve Spagnuolo

Spagnuolo had his defense ready to clamp down in a truly unadvantageous moment for the Chiefs, stuffing Alexander Mattison on three straight runs and then sacking Gardner Minshew on fourth down to give Kansas City the ball back.

Make no mistake, even with the interception woes, the Chiefs aren't entering Week 8 at 6-0 if Patrick Mahomes isn't their quarterback. While Hopkins wasn't an immediate cure, the injury bug biting Kansas City's receiving corps as hard as it has puts the quarterback in a bad spot to begin with. Having said that, however, Mahomes needs to be sending Spags fruit baskets, thank you notes and whatever else to show his appreciation for the defensive coordinator.

The Chiefs entered Week 8 allowing the fifth-fewest points per game this season (17.2), one of just eight teams conceding under 20 points per game on the year. Beyond that and anecdotally, Kansas City has routinely come up with the necessary stops in crucial moments like the one after Mahomes' interception on Sunday against Vegas.

A touchdown there would've given the Raiders a 20-17 lead and put all the momentum on their side. Instead, Spagnuolo flipped it back in favor of the Chiefs in an instant, and took all the pressure off of Mahomes again.

At the end of the day, Mahomes' interception-happy play isn't a major cause for concern, at least not yet, even if it hasn't been the best look. However, the quarterback has to be thankful that Spagnuolo and this Chiefs defense have backed him up to the elite level that they have so far this season. If not, it's hard to believe that Kansas City would still have a zero in the loss column.