A Mariota vs Tua Game Next Week Might Shut Down Hawaii

Derek Carr left Thursday night's game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers due to a groin injury. That development opened the door for backup Marcus Mariota to take over at the end of the first quarter.

And guess what? The former No. 2 overall pick has looked pretty good.

There is now some speculation that Carr could miss the Raiders' game next week too. If that ends up happening, Mariota will continue to lead the charge against an 8-5 Miami Dolphins squad.

You know what else that would mean? We'd get to see two Hawaii natives battling it out. Miami's rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is from Ewa Beach, while Mariota is from Honolulu.

NFL analyst Mina Kimes pointed out what those two going head-to-head might do to the league's viewership in the state of Hawaii. Hint: it would probably increase.

Now, this quarterback matchup isn't a guarantee because we are still unsure of Carr's status, but he has officially been ruled out for the rest of the game against the Chargers. That means we'll have to wait and see where things trend over the next week.

We are already getting an Oregon-on-Oregon quarterback battle on Thursday Night Football too. Mariota is a former Duck, and rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, the starter for Los Angeles, is an Oregon product as well.

That's really cool, but next week's matchup would outdo that intrigue -- or at least it would in one state.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.