The Miami Dolphins will look to move their record to 3-6 when they take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Monday night.

The Dolphins are coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses against the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to the starting lineup. The Rams are 4-4, following a 26-20 overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.

The teams will meet for the first time since the 2020 season, when the Dolphins won 28-17 in Miami in Tagovailoa’s first NFL start.

Here are the five biggest storylines for this Week 10 matchup.

It’s not just that we’ve been waiting for Tyreek Hill to make some big plays since the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, We now have suggestions for possible surgery to treat your current wrist problem. The Dolphins could absolutely use Hill in this game because it appears to be a high-scoring affair, but they really need the 2022 and 2023 version.

The defense fell short the last two games, allowing 28 and 30 points, but will have key starter Zach Sieler back in the lineup, along with cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Storm Duck. It will also help that the Dolphins aren’t facing a quarterback who can extend plays like Kyler Murray and Josh Allen can. It’s time for that group to put on a winning performance.

However, in terms of key defensive players, the one to watch will be cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who will face his former team for the first time since the Dolphins acquired him in a trade. Ramsey has the ability to make plays in a variety of ways for Miami’s defense, although he will have to fight the temptation to try too hard to make a big play considering the emotions he shared when facing the team with which he won a Super Bowl title.

The Dolphins offense has come alive since Tagovailoa returned to the lineup and will face a mediocre Rams defense on Monday night. But it’s also a Rams defense that is very good at rushing the passer, as evidenced by the five players with at least three sacks on the season (the Dolphins don’t even have one). It will be up to the five guys up front to give Tagovailoa time to throw those non-fast hitter plays, and that group will include veteran Kendall Lamm, who will start at right tackle in place of the injured Austin Jackson.

This will be a moot point if the score isn’t close, but the way the NFL works, it probably is. And if it is indeed a close game, then the Dolphins simply have to find a way to make plays at the end, and that’s offense and defense. The Kansas City Chiefs are 9-0 this season and the main reason is that they always make that key play that makes the difference, the most recent example being the blocked field goal against Denver on Sunday. If the Dolphins want to stop their slide and make any kind of effort this season, they need to start making those types of plays.